Valentine’s Day may have passed, but n1ot at the Hampton Theatre Company. “I Do! I Do!” — which premiered on Broadway in 1966 and went on to garner seven Tony Award nominations — will open next Thursday at the Quogue Community Hall and run through March 29.
With music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics and book by Tom Jones, the team best-known for their long-running classic “The Fantasticks,” the play chronicles a 50-year marriage that The New York Times critic Alvin Klein called “surely a marriage made in heaven, for the idyllic likes of it would hardly be found anywhere on earth.”
“I Do! I Do!” offers a perfect backdrop for couples who’d like to renew their vows, according to Terry Brennan, the theater’s general manager. Ms. Brennan, ordained in the Universal Life Church in 2009 so she could officiate at a family member’s wedding, came up later that year with the idea for renewing vows inside a theater for an Airport Playhouse production of “The Wedding Singer.”
Ms. Brennan will officiate at the majority of the ceremonies, but there will also be a few qualified celebrity guest officiants. Reservations are required and can be made by email to [email protected] or by calling 631-653-8955.
The play, set entirely in their bedroom, follows Agnes and Michael from their wedding night in 1895 to 1945. Through a series of poignant and often funny vignettes, it traces the joys, challenges, humor, and enduring affection that define a shared life.
Schmidt and Jones reshaped American musical theater, with works that emphasized lyricism, intimacy, and emotional resonance. Their collaborations include “Celebration,” “Philemon,” “Roadside,” and “Colette.”
The cast of “I Do! I Do!” features Nicholas Auletti (“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”) as Michael and Savannah Moore, an HTC newcomer, as Agnes. Direction and set design are by Rosemary Cline, the company’s president; lighting is by Sebastian Paczynski, and costume design by Teresa LeBrun.
Performances will take place Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30. An additional matinee will happen at 2:30 on March 28. The director and cast will talk about the show after the March 20 and March 27 performances. Tickets are $50, $46 for senior citizens, and $30 for students.
