I LOVE YOU BECAUSE A Musical in 2 acts. Music by Joshua Salzman; Book and Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham after Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Village Theatre – Off-Broadway Landor Pub Theatre – London, England SYNOPSIS The story begins with Austin Bennet, a young greeting card writer who has his whole life planned out, preparing for a date with his long term girlfriend Catherine. Arriving to her apartment Austin finds Catherine in bed with another man. Dejected, Austin goes to his local bar, where his brother, Jeff, the eternal bachelor, tries to cheer Austin up by telling him the best way to win a woman back is by being completely indifferent to her. Meanwhile, Marcy, a flighty photographer, pours her heart out to her best friend, Diana, about her difficulty in finding the perfect man. Diana, an actuary, tells Marcy that the best way to find the perfect man is to find a man who is absolutely wrong, which she proves through a series of calculations. Jeff sets up a double date for himself and Austin, where Austin meets Marcy for the first time. In an attempt to be indifferent to Catherine, he tries to win over Marcy. Austin tries to tell Marcy of his sensitive side, but continually ambushes himself by bringing up his ex-girlfriend. Jeff 's courtship of Diana goes notably better until Jeff injures his back in a bedroom accident and is rushed to the hospital. Marcy is convinced that Austin would make a perfect rebound man, and after trying to track down Austin for many weeks, Marcy finally corners him at the coffee shop across from the hospital, where Austin sits writing. Marcy discovers that Austin is now trying to win Catherine back by writing her the perfect poem. Marcy tries to keep Austin from writing a cliché laden greeting card poem. She shows him that the lack of romance in his ordered and mannered way of life is evident. Austin calls Catherine, and when her response is all that Marcy predicted it would be Austin agrees to let Marcy help him. Marcy tries to teach Austin the difference between the clichéd romance of a greeting card and the honest romance of a poem. He learns well, but Marcy tells him not to send the poem for six months. However, Jeff accidentally sends the poem early. The response from Catherine comes on a post card that Marcy intercepts. She takes Austin out for dinner so that she can break it to him gently. Austin has a bit too much to drink and finally grasps all of Marcy's lessons of saying what you honestly feel. He explodes at the waiter when he tries to charge Marcy too much for dinner. Austin feels liberated, and Marcy feels like someone actually stood up for her. They both feel a way they haven't before, and they tell each so. However, just as they are about to to a kiss, Marcy breaks the news about Catherine to Austin. Crushed, Austin blames the failure on Marcy, who turns on Austin and yells that the reason for his failure is his insistence on having a completely ordered and structured life. This fight ends with the two sleeping together. Meanwhile Jeff and Diana come to an understanding. After sleeping with Marcy, Austin runs home and tells Jeff that he might be in love with Marcy. Jeff warns Austin that he is letting his emotions get the better of him, and that he should keep his feelings to himself. Austin wonders what he should. Ultimately Austin runs off and tells Marcy how he feels, but she is not ready to feel the same way, and she tells Austin so. Austin returns home to find Catherine waiting for him. Marcy wanders the streets of New York thinking about what she has done. The ensemble appears and helps Marcy convince herself that she is better off alone. Diana tires of her and Jeff 's "friends with benefits" situation, and asks Jeff to become exclusive. Jeff warns her that becoming exclusive will only end in heartache. Marcy decides that she does return Austin's affections even though he is so wrong for her. She tells him so.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODU3MzQ=