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A CurtainUp Review
First Date
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this Is Your Bailout, Sweetie your Bailout, Honey i'm Callin' To Bail You Out. you Could Tell Him Your Dad's In The Hospital your Building's On Fire that's All You Need To Say and You're Free And On Your Way! — Reggie |
Zachary Levi and Sara Chase
(Photo credit: Joan Marcus) |
Amidst a backdrop of flashy lighting and high-tech media displays at a New York neighborhood bar, Aaron (Zachary Levi) and Casey (Krysta Rodriguez) plunge, if hesitantly, into the awkwardly but funnily getting-to-know-you phase of a potential relationship. While Aaron and Casey begin their look-me-over-figure-me-out overtures at the bar with a delightful song "First Impressions" two men and two women are seen at tables, each of whom will assume multiple roles. They are more often than not simply consigned to jump out of the imaginative minds and memories of Aaron and Casey.
With a bright and lively score, and even two memorable ballads (can you believe that?) by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner, this small-scaled musical is buoyed as much by its cleverly snappy lyrics as it is by Austin Winsberg's unapologetically contemporary perspective. But here's the rub: Levi, who is making his Broadway debut and Rodriguez, who may be best known for playing Ana Vargas on the Broadway-themed television show Smash, are talented. But they do have to fight against the more invigorating and entertaining intrusions of supporting players Bryce Ryness, Kristoffer Cusick, Black Hammond, Sara Chase, and Kate Loprest who hilariously infiltrate the action. One digression alludes to the nightmare scene in Fiddler on the Roof as Chase, who appears as Aaron's deceased Grandma Ida reprimanding him from Heaven.
The intruding characters, all of whom are ready at an instant to jump fully costumed into fantasy-land, keep the chatter between Aaron and Casey from becoming static. For perhaps a little too long, we are obliged to empathize with Casey as she hides defensively ("I have always been attracted to bad boys.") behind a plethora of snarky put-downs — and then sympathize with the somewhat nerdy straight-laced bespectacled corporate financier Aaron as he feels the necessity to lash back with unacceptable references to the woman who ditched him standing at the alter. Do you need to know that Casey's family is Catholic and Aaron's family is . . . guess?
The question is whether we grow to care about two attractive people who appear to have nothing in common and are not instantly intrigued with each other or allow things to evolve naturally to a blissful kiss or maybe just a backward glance at the end of the evening. The biggest hurdle for this show is for us to see Casey and Aaron as being interesting enough to care. Rodriguez looks great in a hot outfit designed by David C. Woolard and sings well. She makes her biggest impression with the balled "Safer." Levi also has to wait until almost the finale before he loosens up and gets us to root for him with his ballad "In Love With You."
The composers peak with "I'd Order Love," a show-stopper written for the waiter who has dreams of being a Broadway star. As played by pudgy, dimpled and disarming Hammond, this song is a wonderful pastiche of old time musical comedy and reminiscent of the once obligatory eleven o'clock number. There is terrific audience approval to the over-the-top antics of Cusick, as Casey's hyper ventilating gay, at-home friend whose job it is to call her on her cell phone periodically giving her an excuse to bail.
Director Bill Berry has placed the superb supporting cast, who play such broadly interpreted characters as an Edgy Rocker, an Edgy British Guy, Aaron's Future Son, Casey's Father, a Friendly Therapist, and Aaron's Mother among others who pop in and out of Casey and Aaron's head. They are, however, in the enviable position to not only upstage the leads but make us realize how joyously vital they are to the concept.
In thinking about Aaron and Casey, I am reminded of some of the ten to fifteen minute now-classic skits written and performed by such comedy teams as Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Joseph Bologna and Rene Taylor, and Mike Nichols and Elaine May in which we saw couples grapple with their differences and insecurities yet end up in a kind of harmonic convergence. First Date takes a little longer than fifteen minutes, but given the addition of songs and a host of hilarious supporting characters, it adds up to ninety minutes of amiable fun.
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First Date Book by Austin Winsberg Music and Lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner Directed by Bill Berry Cast: Zachary Levi (Aaron), Krystan Rodriguez (Casey), Bryce Ryness (Man #1 - Gabe/Young Aaron/Edgy British Guy), Krisoffer Cusick (Man #2 - Reggie/Aaron's Future Son/Edgy Rocker Guy), Blake Hammond (Man #3 - Waiter/Casey's Father/Friendly Therapist), Sara Chase (Woman #1 - Grandma Ida/Lauren/Aaron's Mother), Kate Loprest (Woman #2 - Allison/Young Casey) Scenic and Media Design: David Gallo Costume Design: David C. Woolard Lighting Design: Mike Baldassari Sound Design: Kai Harada Orchestrations: August Eriksmoen Conductor: Dominick Amendum Music Coordinator: Michael Weller Music Supervision, Vocal and Instrumental Music Arrangements: Dominick Amendum Musical Staging: Josh Rhodes Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes no intermission Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th Street (212) 239 - 6200 Tickets: $35.00 - $137.00 Performances: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm and 7pm. From 07/09/13 Opened 08/08/13 Closing 1/05/14 Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance 08/07/13 Musical Numbers: "The One" - Company "First Impressions" - Aaron and Casey "Bailout Song #1" - Reggie "The Girl for You" - Company "The Awkward Pause" - Company "Allison's Theme #1" - Allison "That's Why You Love Me" - Bad Boys "Bailout Song #2" - Reggie "Safer" - Casey "I'd Order Love" - Waiter "Allison's Theme #2" - Aaron, Allison, Gabe "The Things I Never Said" - Aaron and Aaron's Mother "Bailout Song #3" - Reggie "In Love With You" - Aaron "The Check" - Company "Something That Will Last" - Casey, Aaron and Company |
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