Delicious, well-seasoned, and rare. And a big enough portion to share! Bring me all of the heartache, a small side of woe— that flavor of longing that I long to know— yes I’d order love! Well, maybe that’s a tall order for a— *gasp* First Date! But it happens. Sometimes. Almost never. But sometimes!! The fairytales we all grew up on, the soap operas and prime-time dramas we’re all addicted to— the fiction books and even the musical librettos. They’ve all got meet-cute-love-at-first-sight nonsense that we LOVE! Well Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre has all of that and none of that as they take you on a whirlwind romantic and comedic romp through the trials and zany nonsense that is First Date (the musical!) By golly, it might even make a great ‘first date’— after watching these seven characters fall apart hilariously all around themselves, how bad could your first date possibly be? Directed by Jake Schwartz with Musical Direction by Paige Rammelkamp and Choreography by Tia Silver, this 90-minute rip-roaring good time of a silly little musical is just what you need to pull through those intolerably humid and hot summer nights! You’ll laugh, you’ll relate, you’ll have a great time. It’s a solid show, with strong, focused direction, and a talented cast that will really make you appreciate the skill set they’re bringing to table. (Pun intended!)
It may only take two people to have a first date (three if you count that plucky waiter) but it takes a whole village of designers and behind-the-scenes folk to get the show up on its feet and looking as spectacular as it does. Set Designer/Lead Set Builder Peter Kaiser has done an impressive job of transforming the ‘theatre under the stars’ space into a Bistro (Jake’s Bistro, in fact) and it’s quaint. Kaiser has found the perfect harmony between being a cozy, intimate, date-worthy ‘restaurant interior’ that still showcases the New York City skyline. Simple but tasteful. Not too posh or swanky but clearly not a dive bar. Montana Mitchell, as the scenic-painting set artist, fills in the details in Kaiser’s set, giving it that extra pop while Set Dressers Beth Rendely and Jake Schwartz (the show’s impressive stage manager and the show’s director) keep the delicious “devil’s in the details” motif afloat in this charming little restaurant.
Aesthetically the show is on point. At times, Lighting Designer Jules Gross seems to be a bit overly enthusiastic about showcasing all of the fancy illumination-instruments that the theatre has at its disposal, particularly during “In Love With You” where the concept of less is more would definitely have been appreciated here. Gross doesn’t seem to quite trust the performers to do their thing, which is a shame because this is an insanely talented bunch, and goes hog wild with the lighting effects all throughout the production, which isn’t a huge detractor, but it at times feels out of place. Honestly, though, if chaotic lighting is the only real problem you have with your production, you’re well ahead of the game.
Costume Designer Sami Peterson has taken a straight forward approach with this show. It’s a ‘modern times’ setting and the rest, save for the note of Aaron being way overdressed for the date, is left up to artistic interpretation. Peterson appears to have worked with her cast to find outfits that flatter their figures, make them feel comfortable, and fit their characters’ quirks. You never see any of the actors fiddling around with costumes because they don’t fit right or aren’t quite coming together, and you never find your mind wondering over why that particular outfit was utilized on that particular person. It’s sort of the ‘silent hero’ trait of a costumer in a ‘modern day’ show. And Peterson has definitely achieved that success. The unsung hero of the production is Stage Manager Beth Rendely. (SMs do a ton of work and get none of the credit.) The show moves along at a tight pace, and whatever’s happening backstage is never made a reality for those of us watching. From start to finish you get a tight show, the action never stops and the scenic shifts never drag or delay. It’s a very, precise production.
Director Jake Schwartz is owed credit for the show’s tight pacing as well. He also brings the heart of the musical— which is narratively expressing the experiences of these characters— straight to the forefront of the theatrical experience. It would be easy to get caught up in the, however limited, flashy spectacle moments of the show— like when Reggie has a disco-inferno-flipout for each of his three musical numbers, or the way three of the characters appear as pop-up figments of the imaginations of the two protagonists. And while Schwartz doesn’t shy away from these elements of the script, he pulls the focus of First Date to where it should be— on the story unfolding between Aaron and Casey. His casting is impressive. And the very subtle use of Tia Silver’s clean and crisp choreography is a smart choice. The show doesn’t feel over-choreographed or like there are moments of dancing just because “there should be dancing in a musical.”
Music Director and pit conductor Paige Rammelkamp gets this party of seven not only started but amped up and pumped up throughout the entirety of the performance. Rammelkamp, heading up the orchestra on keys (with Mari Hill & Emily Sergo on reeds, David Mueller on guitar, Jeff Eckert & Reid Bowman on bass, and William Georg on drums) gives solid, consistent sounds from the pit, which are mostly well-balanced with the singers on the stage. In the numbers where the company sings together, like “The One” and “The Check!” you’d hardly be aware it was only seven performers (if you weren’t, of course, looking right at them.) It’s a dream team, truly— with Rammelkamp and Schwartz (and the unsung efforts of SM Beth Rendely) and the result is a really entertaining, exciting evening of theatre.
Though the cast may be small, everyone is proving these parts and characters are larger than life. Take ‘Man 2’ (Geraden Ward) who gets featured as Reggie, the BFF of Casey. Except you only see Reggie in these semi-spontaneous moments, which are arguably three huge scene-stealing moments in the show. Ward is LIVING it. “Bailout Song” (parts one, two, and three) are these sassy, flashy, hilarious moments of melodrama that Ward is serving up steaming hot, with pristine vocals to boot. It’s wild and great fun to watch. Or ‘Womane #2’ (Rose Hutchinson) whose primary function is to serve as the split-persona of Allison, Aaron’s ex-girlfriend. Hutchinson doesn’t get many solo song moments (the initial “Allison Theme #1” notwithstanding), though she does kickstart “The World Wide Web is Forever” as ‘Google Girl’ and when she is doing her thing as Allison, good-bad-or-otherwise, it adds thoroughly to the enjoyment of the show.
You get a little bit more depth to the characters of Gabe (Cameron Walker) and Lauren (Emily Decker) who aren’t ever actually there in the restaurant…as themselves, at least. Walker and Decker are random men and women in the restaurant, just creating background people, as it were, but when they pop up as Gabe and Lauren respectively— Aaron’s best friend and Casey’s older sister— they are but figments of Aaron and Casey’s imaginatons. Decker doubles up as ‘Aaron’s Mother’ in the number “The Things I Never Said” and you get a little hint of the powerful vocal instrument she’s working with while Walker is putting his pipes out there for all to hear during “Can’t Help but Love Me (Slow Jam)” as Stoner Guy. Walker’s comic timing is second to none in this cast of cameos and pop-ups and he really nails the effect of being the ‘bro-who-wants-his-bro-to-get-laid.’
Friends of the primary characters, mental delusions of the primary characters, you would think that would cover all the extra characters in this show. Only it doesn’t. There’s ‘Man #3’ (Blake Martin) who really spends most of his time playing the role of the waiter. The main couple is on a first date at a bistro-restaurant, after all! Martin has sharp comic timing, impeccable witty delivery, and he croons like something straight out of the 1960’s Rat Pack live at The Sands. The oozy, campy crooner ballad “I’d Order Love” makes it that much easier for Martin to croon the number away, but still, his vocal capabilities are the perfect fit for that song. He also doubles up as Aaron’s therapist and ‘Twitter’ during “The World Wide Web is Forever.”
Aaron (Zac Brightbill) and Casey (Cera Baker.) A real BDV and BDS when it comes down to it. You’ve never heard of a Blind-Date-Virgin and a Blind-Date-S— well… we won’t make Aaron’s bad-taste/poor-humor mistake, so we’ll say Blind-Date-Seasoner. Brightbill, as the nervous, terribly emotionally clumsy, and all-around adorkable character collides bombastically with the edgy, well-practiced, self-sabotaging Casey character, which is a delight in Baker’s hands. The pair play strikingly well off one another, particularly when it comes to navigating the complex trajectory that librettist Austin Winsberg has set out for Aaron and Casey.
Baker, as Casey, rocks up to the date looking like a wild and free woman who could have just as easily rode in on a motorbike whereas Brightbill, as the buttoned up and closed off Aaron, slip-slides his way onto the scene as an overly wound, high-strung ball of stress. Chaos, calamity, and hilarity ensues. Their first ‘duet’, “First Impressions” is a great sampling of what each of them brings vocally and characteristically to the table. (It’s actually really hilarious to watch the non-singing half of the duet, completely frozen in time as the singing half of the duet manipulates their body and sings all around them.) And then the pair sing apart (or as a part of the larger group numbers) until the show’s conclusion, “Something That Will Last” which is a beautiful knot of hope and unity and mushy-gushy stuff. (Didn’t say it was an HEA but it’s got bright rays of potential.) Some of Brightbill and Baker’s most beautiful vocal moments come from songs where they’re not singing about, to, at, or with one another. For Baker it’s “Safer” the half-torch-half-swan-all-eleven-o’clock style number that really lets the audience see the ‘inner Casey.’ It’s tragically beautiful. For Brightbill it’s that grounded moment in the duet, “The Things I Never Said”, where he’s singing at-with-about-to his mom. And then you get a crazy 180 from Brightbill just two songs later in “In Love With You”, which starts out like this beautiful ballad and turns into this blazing tear down number of how awful Allison truly was. It’s difficult to find accurate words to praise just how well Brightbill and Baker work together on stage; I think the one I’m looking for is authentic. Authentic chemistry. For the nervousness, the edginess, the silliness, the heightened sense of emotional overload— they’ve got authentic, realistic chemistry, both caustic and calming, volatile and passionate; it’s a perfect match.
If you need a theatrical pick-me-up, a good evening of laughs and love and silliness with a touch of reality in tow, First Date is your ticket. Though it won’t be your ticket if you don’t buy your ticket to see the show! Thursday through Sunday evenings (yes, unlike most community theatres in the area, they have Thursday AND Sunday EVENING shows!) and it’s a great evening out; you won’t want to miss it!
Running Time: Approximately 95 minutes with no intermission
First Date plays through July 22nd 2023 at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre— 143 Compromise Street in Historic Annapolis, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 268-9212 or purchase them online.
To read the interview with Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre’s youngest director, Jake Schwartz, click here.
