“First Date”: The Pressing First World Problems of Upper Middle Class White People in Manhattan

The cast of "First Date". Photo Credit: Chris Bennion

Review: “First Date A New Musical” Book by Austin Winsberg. Music and Lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner. A joint production between The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT-A Contemporary Theatre. Musical Staging by Josh Prince. Directed by Bill Berry. With Eric Ankrim, Kelly Karbacz, Richard Gray, Benjamin Harris, Vicki Noon, Brandon O’Neill, and Billie Wildrick. Now through May 20 at ACT.

I have to be honest…I just don’t give a damn about upper middle class white people and their dreary little suitcases full of upper middle class white people problems: “Oooh, it’s so HARD being an upper middle class white person! My parents are weird! I didn’t get into the right college! I’m so screwed up, I’m in THERAPY! My co-op board rejected my bid on a new condo! My stocks aren’t paying off as well as I had hoped! I have backne….It’s so hard being a white person with money! WAAAAAH!”

OK…that’s being harsh. I do care about upper middle class white people with problems…if it’s material written by John Cheever, or Richard Yates, or Matt Weiner, or Stephen Sondheim…in fact, several times during last night’s opening performance of the new musical “First Date”, the second co-production between ACT and the 5th Avenue Theatre, I wished the two companies had banded together for a joint production of Sondheim’s brilliant musical, “Company”. Yes, it’s about annoying upper middle class white people in Manhattan and their relationship problems, but it’s a funny, poignant, witty and brilliantly written musical about annoying UMCWP in Manhattan. Sadly, “First Date” is a cliche ridden, anachronistic musical about a white upper middle class couple’s first date, featuring corny dialogue and characters and situations straight out of a mediocre 1970’s  TV movie of the week coupled with forgettable songs. It’s only saved by the charms of the actors and an occasional bit of witty dialogue. Of course the audience ate it up and the show received the customary Seattle standing ovation but I don’t think it was warranted based on the material; it was earned by the charms and the talents of the personable young cast. “First Date” isn’t as awful as last year’s ACT/5th Avenue co-production “Vanities” but that’s not saying a lot…it’s slightly better written and more topical than that show, but it’s still cruise ship entertainment. The many talented people associated with this production, deserve much better…like a revival of the beautifully written “Company”.

Why bother with a synopsis? The title of the show says it all…”First Date” is exactly that, the story of Aaron, a sweet but rather dweeby financial wizard and Casey, an arty and slightly bitter art dealer and their first blind date at a typical first date bistro. The couple meet awkwardly, gradually warm up to each other and sing a few songs. Along the way, they are aided by the presence of various friends, ex-lovers, family members, therapists and assorted commentators, all played by the five other actors on stage. Naturally, the two have little in common and every relationship cliche explored in films/tv/books of the last 50 years is explored and exploited despite the hoariness of some of the material. Aaron is Jewish and Casey is vaguely New Agey which naturally leads to a RIDICULOUS production number exploring the searing topic of Jews marrying outside their faith and the repercussions. I’m not saying that that isn’t an issue for some people, but as a Hot Topic bone of contention for dating couples in the 21st Century, that plotline is straight from 1961. (And, it doesn’t even seem as if Aaron comes from a particularly Orthodox family…)

It gets worse. Casey has a gay best friend who calls several times during the date to aid her in giving her an out if she wants to bail on the blind date. The gay BFF is naturally a bit stereotypical, shrieky and prone to being grand and flighty. Aaron has a nasty ex-fiance who dumped him at the altar…the characterization of that character, Allison, borders on the misogynistic…she’s just a rude, nasty bitch without any redeeming qualities. We also meet Aaron’s wingman/bud, (complete with backward wearing ball cap) and Casey’s best settled down girlfriend, (sensible glasses to match her sensible advice), each offering advice to the couple during internal monologues…oh, and we get a number with Casey’s ex boyfriends, all of whom are rather stereotypical “Bad Boys” with tattoos, bad hygiene and a poor taste in fashion…these characters and situations were corny and trite during the Reagan Administration…they haven’t improved with age.

But, I will give the show credit where it’s due…it’s never really boring. It might be trite, and shallow, and unoriginal and about as daring as an episode of  “Saved by the Bell” but the sweetness and charm of the main characters manages to hold the show together for its very brief running time (about an hour and forty minutes without an intermission). The songs aren’t at all memorable; they sound like PARODIES of banal songs in banal musicals and you won’t leave the theater merrily singing any tune from “First Date”…it’s all a sonic blur of bland music and bland lyrics. There was an allegedly “cute” number about the craziness of the Internet which many in the audience seemed to adore; it received a curiously long ovation from the typically older audience. The song wasn’t particularly fresh or insightful; television and film have been making fun of the Internet for years, but it seemed to tickle the funny bone of much of the audience. I took my brother to the performance and we both turned to each other at the same time and shrugged…different strokes for different folks.

The main reason to check out “First Date” would be to enjoy the excellent cast. Eric Ankrim as the nebbishy Aaron and Kelly Karbacz as Casey are both charming and delightful in their roles and breathe the only signs of life into their rather crudely drawn characters. The charm of the actors and their talent bleeds into the characters and makes them interesting enough to tolerate the banalities of the plot and music. The hugely wasted talents of supporting players Brandon O’Neill and Billie Wildrick are a crime against theatrical humanity. These two talented performers deserve SO much more than playing contrived second fiddle roles. In fact, the entire show would have been hugely improved if it focused on TWO sets of couples; the Aaron and Casey couples actually on their first date AND also developing a relationship between that couple’s two interior monologue “advisers”. It would have added depth and interest in a show sorely lacking in both…

The rest of the cast had even less to do…poor Benjamin Harris and Vicki Noon were stuck with playing multiple roles, none of them that interesting, and all of them rife with cliche. Poor Ms Noon didn’t really look very comfortable playing the bitchy ex-girlfriend of Aaron…the misogynistic crap thrown at the character bordered on the offensive. At least Richard Gray (Seattle veteran musical performer Greg McCormick Allen plays the role from April 14 to May 20) gets a big juicy show stopper number two thirds of the way through the show, as a musically inclined waiter. It was a bravura performance from Mr. Gray of a number that felt plunked into the show, and musically, one that you won’t remember 5 minutes after it was performed.

Technically, the show is fine; the usual well designed sets, lighting, sound, costumes you come to expect from ACT and the 5th Avenue, (though nothing worth raving over…) As a musical, the show is a very bare bones affair; simple orchestrations, little choreography and not much in the line of production numbers. If you crave that sort of musical, then head over to the 5th Avenue next month for “Damn Yankees”…it has a score you’ll remember.

And/Or, hold your breath until NEXT year’s joint production between the 5th Avenue and ACT…they’re doing a GOOD musical, presenting the northwest premiere of the Tony Award winning, “Grey Gardens”, the musical about the famous mother/daughter eccentric hermit team of Big and Little Edie Beale. I’ve been whining for a theater company to do this show for the last year and finally someone heard my wish…I wish they had heard it a YEAR ago so we could have avoided “First Date”…oh, and doing a revival of Sondheim’s “Company” with Brandon O’Neill as Bobby seems wise to me, too.

Hint, Hint.