Review: FIRST DATE, Old Joint Stock Birmingham
Making waves in the Fringe theatre scene is Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre, with the UK premiere of First Date being its latest venture.
With a book by Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, the musical comedy’s plot is simple: two New Yorkers - Aaron (Michali Dantes) and Casey (Rokaya) - go on a blind date and we, as an audience, are taken along for the ride; experiencing the highs and lows of dating of which many of us can relate to!
Designed by Joanne Marshall, the black box theatre has been transformed into ‘Cupidz’, the restaurant where Aaron and Casey have arranged to meet, and where the duration of the show is situated. Greeted upon entry by a member of the cast as a waiter, the scene is set from the second you step into the auditorium. A hostess station (or seemingly a far more glamorous on-stage props table for Man 2 to distribute costume pieces and props from) is located far stage right, with three tables laid out in front of a beautiful backlit graphic of the New York City skyline.
As expected when being labelled as a musical comedy, the script and songs are extremely funny and it is near impossible to keep a straight face for much of the show. Particular highlights include ‘The Girl For You’ whereby Aaron’s deceased grandmother chastises him for not dating a Jewish girl; ‘The World Wide Web is Forever’ where the pair google one another’s pasts; and ‘That’s Why You Love Me’ featuring Casey’s bad boy ex’s, performed hilariously by Man 1 and 2.
However, where this production truly succeeds is in its vulnerability, as shown by Casey at the end of Act One during ‘Safer’ when she admits putting her guard up with men to avoid getting hurt, and even more so with Aaron during ‘The Things I Never Said’ when recounting to Casey the letter his Mother left him before she died. The latter certainly packs a punch and although in the second half, there is where the show really takes off in our opinion.
During the first half, the ensemble characters of Man 1 (Tom Kiteley), Man 2 (Joey Warne) and Woman 1 (Lowri Hamer) dominate the action, almost overshadowing our two main protagonists, mainly due to the humorous material given and their excellent delivery of it. All three demonstrate great versatility as performers and are clearly having great fun with their roles, which include Casey’s friend Reggie who keeps ringing her to ‘bail her out’ if needed, and Aaron’s unbearable ex, Alison. The second act demonstrates a more cohesive performance, however, where the dynamic between the cast shifts slightly and feels more assured.
Dantes as Aaron does a wonderful job transforming from the nervy, intense BDV (blind date virgin) to the confident, lighter version of himself following ‘In Love With You’. Rokaya as Casey does not take as much of a journey but you can almost see those walls being slowly chipped away across the show’s duration.
James Edge’s direction ensures the show’s seamless nature and really taps into the range of emotions in the piece. Ellie Begley’s choreography is perfect for the relevant song styles and is delivered with real energy by the cast, matched by the band under Callum Thompson’s musical direction.
A brilliantly fun show with real heart at its core.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jenny Ell
First Date plays at the Old Joint Stock in Birmingham until 25 August, with further info here.
