'First Date' Musical Charms, Despite Stereotypes

By Melody Udell in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 17, 2015 4:00PM

There’s no doubt that agonizing over finding “the one” can result in a string of flame-out relationships, bad breakups and dreaded blind dates. Just ask Casey (Dana Parker) and Aaron (Charlie Lubeck), the will-they-or-won’t-they couple at the center of the Chicago premiere of First Date, a quirky musical that, while it hits the cliches pretty hard, still happens to be immensely likable.

Thanks to mutual friends who seemingly don’t know them at all, Casey and Aaron agree to a blind date and meet at a cozy bar in Chicago. Scenic designer Thad Hallstein’s restaurant, aided by the cabaret-style stage of the Royal George, itself, features wall-to-wall built-ins with appropriately moody light fixtures and stacks of books—one of the best elements of the production.

From the moment their seen-it-all waiter (John Keating) brings the drinks (a “masculine” beer for him, a “shot of something strong and a chaser of something stronger” for her), the tropes begin: Casey is an effortlessly cool, bad-boy-seeking artistic type who, underneath the hard armor, actually yearns for a committed relationship. Aaron, clearly her opposite, is a buttoned-up investment banker still nursing his wounds from being jilted at the altar (or, more accurately, the chuppah). But the two, despite their differences, settle into the blind date the only way they can to break the awkwardness: by talking about the convention of blind dates. Their meta small talk becomes deeper conversation—maybe too deep, as the discussion turns to religion and kids—but its clear that the two have chemistry, despite their major differences. Maybe their friends do know them.

As their date plays out almost in real time, the other diners in the restaurant, who form a modern-day Greek chorus of sorts, chime in to muse about everything from the dreaded awkward pause in conversation to who is supposed to pay the check. Also making frequent interruptions are the imaginings of Casey and Aaron’s quasi dating advisors. For Casey, it’s her sister, Lauren (Cassie Slater), a suburban mom who wants Casey to find lasting love as much as Casey does, even if that means doling out lame, antiquated advice that veers a bit too closely to the unfortunate “trap him” mentality. But moving along, as the 90-minute show does at a rapid clip, Aaron’s imaginary advisor is his womanizing best friend, Gabe (Shea Coffman), whose tips Aaron mostly ignores, thankfully. And then there’s Casey’s stereotypically sassy gay BFF, Reggie (Adam Fane) who calls Casey throughout the night to offer her a “bailout” if the date starts going poorly. It certainly does go poorly during some moments, especially when Aaron’s awkwardness translates to poorly worded comments, but Casey never takes the bait.

Parker and Lubeck are both strong performers, especially during their respective 11th-hour songs—Casey’s ballad “Safer” and Aaron’s amusingly unleashed “In Love With You.” But it’s Keating’s waiter/aspiring performer who seems to be having the most fun as he treats the diners to his own eccentrically adorable song, “I’d Order Love.” Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner’s lyrics are clever and fun, even if they only hit at surface level—just like the musical, itself. All said, we’ve been on first dates—and to musicals—that were far less charming.

Tickets for First Date are being sold through Sunday, March 29 at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted, 312-988-9000 or online.