Liverpool Sound and Vision * * * *

Cast: Lucy Mulvihill, Katie Louise Jones, Zoe Evans, Phil Teles Amaro, Stuart Crowther, Peter Fendall

The faint sounds of New York Jazz filter through the Unity Theatre and from there the audience is taken on a rollercoaster of emotions in which the modern day musical, I Love You Because, is the perfect way to spend time with those you love, even if they don’t know it’s you they are looking for.

The six actors on stage take the crowd through their paces and memories of what it was like to single and alone in big city and how in the end the person you find, if you are fortunate, is the one that was there all the time. Peppering the very good script with some incredible songs that would not have been out of place in a Jason Robert Brown musical, Lucy Mulvihill, Katie Louise Jones, Zoe Evans, Phil Teles Amaro, Stuart Crowther, Peter Fendall flattered, enticed, fell in love and had fights, the stuff of everyday living, whilst at the same time being so very enjoyable to watch.

The two brothers and two best friends were portrayed with a captivating style and comfortable ease which came across as being close to what you would expect more seasoned professionals to represent. The fact that all six are studying at either L.I.P.A. or the University of Liverpool and yet gracefully give beautiful performances that are far beyond what would normally be expected of them, shows that higher education brings out the very best in people, especially in the world of art.

Both Stuart Crowther and Lucy Mulvihill as Jeff Bennett and Marcy Fitzwilliams were on sparkling form and Stuart Crowther especially was brimming with excellence as the older brother.

I love You Because is impossible to ignore, all the while the audience finds itself rooting for the two main couples and gave a heartfelt applause for the disarming moment when the two bartenders finally realised their path. It was heart warming and incredibly sweet. A really touching play about the finding love in the most astonishing of places and ways.

Ian D. Hall