By JAMES DEMETRIADES
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Every year I see twenty Broadway shows. I’ve seen forty in the past two years. This year the first show I had the pleasure of seeing was one of the season’s newer shows, First Date at the Longacre Theatre. Open since August 8, this 90-minute show may lack an intermission, but it does have something special. The director Bill Berry sets the scene wonderfully in a run-of-the-mill diner, where the two stars, Zachary Levi (“Chuck”) and Krysta Rodriguez (“Smash”) meet on a first date. Levi plays Aaron, a hyper-nervous Jewish young man overworking himself and haunted by memories of his ex-girlfriend. Rodriguez plays Casey, the complete foil to Aaron in every way; she is the classic tough girl with the soft interior, afraid to be hurt. Their first date is accompanied by five ensemble members who play everyone from Aaron’s grandmother, to his ex, to a group of rabbis, priests and punks.
The versatility of these ensemble actors makes the show come alive. They personify the voices in both the characters’ heads either advising them or scolding them. One particular highlight of the ensemble is the waiter, Blake Hammond, who sings a jazz serenade about love. The other moment that shines is Aaron’s confrontation with his ex-girlfriend, which erupts in an impassioned song that is rewarded by a minute of enthused applause from the audience.
The songs, by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, and the book, by Austin Winsberg, are not the most memorable, but they are fun and at some moments really shine.
The best part of the show is the prices, appropriate for students looking for an affordable first date themselves. Student rush is $30 and all balcony seats are $35. The show, which is young at heart, certainly caters to a college student’s budget.
Finally, while other shows may attempt to be spectacular or flashy, to have huge stars stealing breath away from every scene or to have an awe-inspiring light design, this show attempts to be nothing more than a personification of a first date on stage. It is fun, lighthearted and slightly awkward, but somehow manages to be wholly relatable. We have all had that first date experience where we not only are confronted by nerves, but also haunted by memories of past dates. First Date looks enthusiastically forward to the future that first dates can bring. It epitomizes these life experiences and sentiments in an entertaining and fun start to this year’s Broadway season.
