I had a blind date. I waited two hours on the corner. A girl walked by. I said, “Are you Louise?’” She said, “Are you Rodney?” I said, “Yeah.” She said, ‘I’m not Louise.”
— Rodney Dangerfield
Perhaps the only thing less comfortable than the average official first date is if it’s a blind date, too. Trusting that other people have any idea what’s good for you rarely works with holiday gifts, let alone dating! Austin Winsberg’s book for this musical treats us to two people whom it doesn’t seem would have chosen to be together—and it’s to our enjoyment more than theirs.
Aaron (Adam Sussman) is back in the dating pool after a tough break up. He’s barely ready to date at all, let alone in this set-up with Casey (Sarah Enos). The setter-uppers don’t even know both of them, we discover: Aaron’s co-worker Kevin knows Casey’s sister, Lauren. So we’re three degrees apart from the start. Casey, by contrast, is a serial dater, sizing Aaron up from minute one and not certain she wants a minute two, but there they are at a restaurant, making the best of it.
Through storytelling and attempts at humor, they each try to make the most of the awkward situation. Much of the fun comes from the five-actor ensemble portraying numerous people in their past and, possibly, their futures—in song, of course, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The result is a terrifically fun look at the crazy way we try to make the most of the awkwardness of connection, while too many thoughts run through our brains for us to succeed.
Point Loma Playhouse’s production has an excellent team behind it. The play itself is directed by Kara Tuckfield, who recently did a superb job bringing tension to Lamplighter’s Wait Until Dark. Musical direction is by local treasure Leigh Scarritt who brought so much to the stage in her musical direction of Spring Awakening in 2022 at Wildsong.
First Date debuted in Seattle in 2012 with a Broadway run of over 200 showings. Interestingly, the show has succeeded far more in some settings other than NYC. For some reason, this show has really connected with Russians, where the musical debuted in Moscow in 2019 and is still running! That must say something about the ability of this show to be intriguing, moving, and entertaining.
The ensemble includes Amanda Blair, Manny Cardeiro, Rachil Dillon, Lucas Grana, Sara Hayes, and Aarin Wilson.
photos by Coco Sein
Blind Date
Point Loma Playhouse, 3035 Talbot St. in San Diego
ends on April 20, 2025
Fri at 7:30; Sat at 2 & 7:30; Sun at 3 (dark April 5)
for tickets ($25-$28), visit Point Loma
