Love, Actually Is Really Complicated

***Love, Actually Is Really Complicated*** is the thirtieth episode of *Off Book: The Improvised Musical,* and features guest Eliza Skinner. Set at a hotel commonly used for weddings, the musical follows a man whose bride-to-be has left him, said bride-to-be and her new romance, a hotel maid who dreams of a house and a man, and two hotel employees engaged in an ongoing flirtation.

## Plot

### Act I

A groom, Daniel, stands in a vacant bridal suite, and requests to book it for the day after there's been a cancellation. He is briefly interrupted by a Victoria, a concierge, and Melissabeth, the maid cleaning the room ("A Cancellation"). Victoria returns to the concierge desk, and Melissabeth leaves the room in a hurry. Alone, Daniel reflects on his attraction for Melissabeth ("Melissabeth").

At the concierge desk, Victoria is approached by her coworker Brad, with whom she has an ongoing flirtation. Victoria, ready to take their relationship to the next level, asks Brad for his favorite musical, and, not having any opinions, he asks for her recommendation ("I Need a Recommendation"). She tells him to watch *Follies.*

Crying in a diner, Daniel confides in his friend Derek. He recounts how emotional his day has been so far, given that he was supposed to be married that day, but was left at the altar by his girlfriend of seven years. He explains that, though he briefly felt that the turn of events was kismet, he is now undergoing a lot of stress. Derek advises him to take time to recover from his breakup, while a waiter, Coffee-Pouring Lady, advises him to move on by having casual sex ("Feel the Pain/Move On"). Daniel's ex-girlfriend, Sally, arrives and begs him to take her back. She describes Daniel as "okay" and expresses a desire to settle for him, as it would be hard to find someone else and they put a lot of effort into the wedding. He calms her down but rejects her for being mean to him. Peter, a man who works for a calendar company, arrives at the diner, at which point Sally reveals that they have been dating ever since they met a week and a half ago at the park where she was feeding Daniel's bread to ducks. Peter confesses his love to Sally and proposes. She accepts, adding that Daniel never complimented her face so specifically, nor appreciated how much bread she carried. They decide to get married in the ceremony intended for Sally and Daniel ("Yes (I Finally Found You)").

### Act II

At the wedding altar, Peter's Buddy From Skiing, who is wearing a puffy jacket, helps Peter to push his emotions down to stop his eyes from peeing. Sally is being walked down the aisle by her father, and both of their eyes pee. Daniel's sister, Madison, is officiating the wedding as the ceremony was meant for her brother, and struggles to adjust her speech to suit Peter ("Eyes Pee Wedding Chorus/The Ceremony"). At the altar, Peter flirts with Madison, and they bond. They feel as though their meeting is kismet, and, excited, Sally suggests she and Madison be sister-wives, both married to Peter. As Madison continues with the vows, she and Sally confess their love for each other and end their relationships with Peter ("Let's Be Sister Wives").

After the first act of a performance of *Follies*, director Deborah is trying to calm a sobbing actor who feels that she made too many mistakes, and Assistant Assistant Stage Manager Martin, who is equally distressed after having raised and lowered the fire curtain too soon. Deborah encourages them to do their best for their one paying audience member, Brad, who has no prior knowledge of what *Follies* should look like. They begin the second act of the show, in which the sole actor vamps until Martin suddenly lowers the curtains again. Martin goes out on stage for Act III as a periwinkle curtain salesperson calling into Follies HQ, and the two actors deliver the fourth and final act of the show with confidence ("What a Folly").

Sometime later, Victoria asks Brad for his opinion of *Follies.* He admits that, though it was weird (particularly due to an actor lying unconscious on the stage for most of the performance), he loved it and was deeply moved. Daniel approaches, stunned that his ex-fiancée is married to his sister, and asks for directions to the bar. Instead, Victoria offers to send some "passed apps" up to the bridal suite for him. Seeing Daniel's confusion, Victoria, Brad, and the hotel chef teach him about passed appetisers ("(Gotta Have) An App That's Passed").

Melissabeth is cleaning the bridal suite with her only friends—her mopy and her spray bottle (who is a count by title). The mop and spray bottle, who are dating, implore Melissabeth to not be afraid to dream, as even the things that seem most unlikely may come to pass. Melissabeth hopes for a ranch-style house of her own to clean, and then a man to go with it ("A House and a Man"). Daniel enters. He asks Melissabeth to stay and share the passed apps with him, and discloses his own dream of having a house, at which point the two realize their dreams are almost identical. Now feeling guilty, Sally and Madison gift Daniel their honeymoon trip, and he and Melissabeth decide to go together. Everyone else gets married ("What Is Love (Complicated)").

**Show/Hide**
## Musical Cast

### Jessica McKenna

* Concierge Victoria
* Derek
* Sally
* Director Deborah
* Count Spray Bottle

### Zach Reino

* Daniel
* Peter's Buddy From Skiing
* Sally's Father
* Bridesmaid Ashley
* Madison
* Assistant Assistant Stage Manager Martin
* Hotel Chef
* Mop

### Eliza Skinner

* Melissabeth
* Brad
* Coffee-Pouring Lady
* Peter
* Bridesmaid
* *Follies* Actor

## Songs

* "A Cancellation" (8:50)
* "Melissabeth" (13:08)
* "I Need a Recommendation" (14:51)
* "Feel the Pain/Move On" (20:52)
* "Yes (I Finally Found You)" (26:58)
* "Eyes Pee Wedding Chorus/The Ceremony" (36:00)
* "Let's Be Sister Wives" (40:18)
* "What a Folly" (46:10)
* "(Gotta Have) An App That's Passed" (52:35)
* "A House and a Man" (54:18)
* "What Is Love (Complicated)" (1:00:13)

Closing Song:

* "Gender Secrets" (New Phone, Who Dis) (1:10:48)

## Trivia

* Eliza Skinner reprises the role of Melissabeth in *The Final Off Book,* in which she is revealed to lie chronically about her name. Her real name is Jane. She reveals that she has never seen *The Wire,* and has never wanted to, and that *The Sopranos* bores her to tears. She confesses that she does not like dogs, and only likes injured cats. She believes that these are her most difficult opinions.