Director: ‘I Love You’ has ‘Sex’ vibe

By John Benson

CLEVELAND — Upon learning the plot behind Playhouse Square’s production of “I Love You Because,” which runs now through May 17 in the 14th Street Theatre, you can’t help but feel the premise is somewhat familiar.

Let’s see ... a New York City-based romantic comedy about four 20-something friends and their quest to find love in the Big Apple. Hmm, “Sex in the City” anyone?

“Yeah, it definitely has that ‘Friends’ and ‘Sex in the City’ vibe,” said director Victoria Bussert, who is also the Baldwin-Wallace College director of music theater. “It’s 20-somethings looking for love in New York. There is something about being single in New York and in your 20s that can either feel incredibly romantic and exciting or devastating and very lonely.”

Billed as a smart and sexy musical that features catchy and energetic numbers, “I Love You Because” revolves around the adventures of two brothers — one an uptight greeting-card writer and the other a free-spirited cab driver — and the women they date. Bussert said she first became aware of “I Love You Because” when it won a National Alliance for Musical Theatre award a few years ago.

“I just thought it was a really charming, fresh kind of piece,” Bussert said. “The voices are young, and the material is really charming and romantic. I was really drawn to it. I thought it was really well done.”

Bussert also feels something else that adds a special charm and appeal to “I Love You Because” is the fact it’s being staged in the intimate 277-seat 14th Street Theatre, just a few steps down from the Great Lakes Theater Festival’s new permanent home in the Hannah Theatre.

“I think this particular space is a real gem in theater,” Bussert said. “It feels like the most wonderful off-Broadway space. If we could move this off-Broadway, it would be such a hit because it is so wonderful and contemporary. We don’t have another space like this in Cleveland.

“When you walk in, there are walls that are covered with stainless steel and as soon as you walk in off the street, you’re at this wonderful bar. Then you go right from this bar into the theater. It doesn’t feel like a formal theater. It has that very contemporary feel to it. It’s really cool.”

Considering the spirit of the production is finding love in the big city, Bussert is hoping “I Love You Because” appeals to more than the typical theater audience.

“It’s a perfect evening for couples who are dating and for anybody who has ever been in love or is looking for love,” Bussert said. “They’d really love the show. I can’t imagine a better date night in Cleveland than coming down to the 14th and seeing this kind of a show.”