By Eva Trieger
SAN DIEGO – Typically when you hear the word “date,” it conjures up the image of two people spending some time together trying to determine if there is something to be kindled between them. Is there a potential second date or maybe even a once in a lifetime romance?
Well, thanks to Point Loma Playhouse and a supremely talented cast of eight, we are all invited along on this intimate ritual, and made privy to all of the inner machinations, doubts, anxieties and pet peeves that accompany a couple embarking on their first date.
Director, set designer, actor and choreographer (is there nothing this woman can’t do?) Kara Tuckfield, has gifted us with this funny, edgy and uplifting romantic comedy. Written by Austin Winsberg with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, this Broadway show opened in 2012. With nineteen songs and a run time of 90 minutes, the show hones in on the pleasures and pitfalls of the dating game.
With a simple set and minimal costume changes, we are introduced to Aaron (Adam Sussman) a nice Jewish boy who has been fixed up on a date with the edgy, rather combatant Casey (Sarah Enos), who is not Jewish. This sets the stage for a very funny musical number (“The Girl for You”) evoking Aaron’s deceased bubbie (Amanda Blair) and Casey’s very goyishe dad (Sara Blanche Hayes).
Aaron has imagined his buddy, Gabe, to offer advice and support. Gabe (Manny Cardeiro) takes on multiple roles, all of them with panache. His dating coaching includes warning his pal of topics that are taboo on first dates including the mention of exes or G-d forbid, ordering an emasculating chopped salad!
Casey also has her support team, Lauren (Blair) encouraging her to take down her walls to become emotionally available, and her friend, Reggie (Lucas Grana), who makes numerous cell phone calls to provide Casey a “bailout” if the date goes south. Casey’s competition is found in the role of Allison (Rachel Dillon), Aaron’s former fiancee.
As the story takes place in a New York City restaurant it would be incomplete if it did not include a theatre-sycophantic waiter. The two waiters are integral to the cast. Waitress (Aarin Wilson) and Waiter (Sara Hayes, playing a second role) both showcase beautiful voices and precise dance moves. The waiter’s musical number, “I’d Order Love,” is a highlight, but there are so many musical numbers that either tickle the funny bone, or echo human frailty and angst.
The creative team, a synergistic group, largely comprised of women, features Kara Tuckfield at the helm as Director and Choreographer. Leigh Scarritt, Musical Director, brings a wealth of experience from television, film and stage. Dori Hoadley, Stage Manager; Coco Sein, Production Manager; and Gaby Espina, Sound/Light Operator, blend all of their talents in the historic Point Loma Playhouse setting.
First Date is so much more than a meet-cute. It accurately captures the awkward initial moments of a blind date, that through a series of sarcastic comments and playful barbs takes aim at our protective layers of defense mechanisms and exposes our vulnerable and authentic underbellies. The witty lyrics, gifting actors performing brilliant choreography provide sheer delight!
First Date will run through April 20, 2025, and tickets may be purchased at www.PointLomaPlayhouse.com
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Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in the coverage of the arts.