Chromolume Theater is back after a six-year hiatus with a sparklingly performed intimate revival of the smart, funny 2013 Broadway romcom musical First Date.

The first daters in question are Aaron (Troy Dailey) and Casey (Paloma Malfavón), whose “First Impressions” of each other do not bode well for any sort of happily-ever-after bliss.

Nervous, nerdy Aaron finds Casey “kinda indie and pretty hot,” which unfortunately reminds him of all the girls that ignored him all through school.

As for Casey’s first impression of Aaron, well it’s even worse that his is of her, the art gallery worker finding him “a bit annoying and overdressed,” and giving off “the kind of vibe that says ‘Look at me, I’m stressed,’” hardly the makings of a successful first date, one we’re about to see unfold in ninety minutes of both real time and detours into fantasy land.

 As the unlikely couple stumble through one awkward conversational moment after another in the Manhattan bar/restaurant they’ve chosen for a date set up by Casey’s sister (who’s married to one of Aaron’s work colleagues), assorted friends and family pop up in dream sequences to offer words of advice, mostly of the “get out now while you can” variety.

Aaron’s womanizing best friend Gabe (Kendré Scott) offers menu tips (“Salads are for wussies”) while reminding his childhood bestie how wrong his gorgeous-but-manipulative former girlfriend Allison (Rachel Yoffe) was for him.

Casey’s married sister Lauren (Natalie Scott) keeps wondering why sis can’t fall for a good guy instead of losers like Edgy Rocker (Christopher Baker) and Edgy British Guy (Scott).

Meanwhile, Casey’s gay best friend Reggie (Baker) remains at the ready with a prearranged “bailout” call, the kind that would normally get answered but not tonight, leaving Reggie to wonder why his ring tone is being ignored. It can’t be that things are actually going well for the first daters, can it?

Well, definitely not at first considering Aaron’s dismay—and his deceased Grandma Ida’s (Bonnie Joy Sludikoff) horror—upon learning that Casey isn’t Jewish, news that provokes similar displeasure from Casey’s Easter Bunny-loving dad (Michael Angel).

Austin Winsberg’s book keeps audiences laughing throughout First Date’s brisk one act while offering food for thought along the way. (How does a first dater avoid those inner voices ever on the alert to sabotage happiness? Can an interfaith couple overcome family objections to their union? And what are the particular challenges of blind-dating in the Internet age, when small talk can be skipped with a potentially dangerous bit of Googling?)

 Along the way composer-lyricist duo Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner serve up a dozen or so songs that add up to as catchy and clever a score as any contemporary musical could hope for.

Director James Esposito elicits one engaging performance after another as choreographer Michael Marchak integrates delightful bits of dance throughout the show, in particular a clever tip of the hat to Fiddler On The Roof.

SoCal favorite Dailey does his splashiest work to date as the nerdy-cute, adorably awkward Aaron and Malfavón follows her breakout star turn in Legally Blonde with another captivating performance as the her-own-worst-enemy Casey, and each gets a standout solo (his “In Love With You” and her “Safer”) to show off bona fide power pipes.

Angel, Baker, (Kendré) Scott, (Natalie) Scott, and Yoffe get arguably the musical’s scene-stealingest assignments in multiple roles each and the multi-talented quintet ace each and every one of them, with Angel’s ubiquitous Waiter getting his own showstopper of a solo, “I’d Order Love” (and his own highly promising gay first date).

Finally, though Sludikoff is a kvetching hoot as Grandma Ida, a new cast member’s sudden one-off appearance comes across as out of place in a role the writers had astutely intended for one of the playing-all-the-supporting-roles fivesome to tackle.

Chromolume Theatre’s new digs at the Zephyr Theatre are a decided step up from their previous home at the Attic, allowing First Date to have a far spiffier and more professional-looking albeit spare production design (set design by Esposito) enhanced by Cici Mao’s expert lighting, and though Kara McLeod limits costume changes to the addition or subtraction of assorted accessories, it works. (Note: Production stills were taken before construction of the show’s set was completed, and it shows.)

Last but not least, though Zephyr acoustics are far from optimal for a musical, music director Jonny Perl brings out the vocal best from his cast while providing impeccable keyboard accompaniment along the way.

Brianne Lopez is assistant director. Ariella Salinas Fiore is intimacy director. Emily Walker is production stage manager. Ken Werther is publicist.

Understudies Andreas Pantazis and Olivia Leyva play Aaron and Casey at selected performances.

 When reviewing First Date’s West Coast Premiere at the La Mirada Theatre back in 2015, I wrote presciently that the show “can be as entertainingly staged in a bare black box theater as in a major regional house.”

Yes, there was something extra special about seeing First Date with “a gorgeous, trendy bar set” and a “super-duper array of quick-change costumes,” but just as I predicted eight years ago, First Date loses little entertainment value when staged as simply as can be.

This is one First Date any L.A. musical theater lover should be delighted to go on.

Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles. Through December 1. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00. Sundays at 3:00. (Understudy performances on Sunday November 17 at 3:00 and Sunday November 24 at 7:00)
www.chrtheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
November 15, 2024
Photos: James Esposito

Tags: Alan Zachary, Austin Winsberg, Chromolume Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Michael Weiner