Well, I survived! First Date is the first first preview of the 2013-14 season, and if this show sets the tone for the rest of the season we are all in for a wild ride!
It covered every type of "bad" in the book (so bad it's good, so bad you want it to end, so bad you're baffled, etc) that it was hard not to love on a certain level.
The strongest thing the show has going for it is Zachary Levi. He was charming, funny as one could be given the material, and had a pleasant voice. He also delivers the one genuinely winning number late in the show called, "In Love With You."
Krysta's character is more unpleasant, but she does her best to make her appealing. Still there is no way Mara Davi will be backstabbing to steal this part.
What's weird about the leads is that even though they carry 85-90% of the book they barely sing. The bulk of the score is left to the five supporting actors, all of whom play a multitude of characters.
To give you a flavor of the show let me hit some bullet points of things I remember:
-The show begins with little vignettes about the perils of dating. In one exchange the girl says to the guy, "I'm a Christian and I won't have sex until marriage. BUT, here's a list of what I will do." (hands him a list) He responds, "Wow, I don't know about number 4!" To which she says, "Don't worry, I always use a glove!" (I took this as a nod to another Longacre flop, when Henry Winkler said, "Who do you have to fist to get a drink in this town?" in The Performers.)
-There is an ULTIMATE camp number worthy of the wildest flops like Into the Light and the like. It's called "The Girl for You," in which Zachary finds out Krysta isn't Jewish. Like Fruma Sarah, Sara Chase becomes Levi's dead grandmother who comes back from the grave to warn him about dating a Shiksa. She has lyrics about how well endowed!?!? he is, and references his "matzah balls." THEN another actor comes out as a priest singing on Krysta's behalf, and THEN another actor comes out as their potential teenage son RAPPING about his confusing religious upbringing!! I could not make this up.
-Kate Loprest then gets to play Google- you know, the search engine personified!! As the two daters google each other she sings about being everywhere, like Starbucks, and owning their domains! The rest of the cast get to dance around with iPads.
-Kristoffer Cusick plays Krysta's stereotypical gay best friend, and he leaves her bitchy, high-pitched voicemails throughout the show. Lots of, "Later Bitch" and "Hate you skank."
The second half takes a turn for the serious, which translates into some drippy ballads.
Every set-up for a joke is seen a mile away, but a bigger problem is there is that there just aren't any stakes for the characters. The burning question is will they go on a second date or not. It's hard to invest too much in a prospect so insignificant. Also, do dates like this even happen anymore? I guess dating is a waste of time, in the gay world at least, when you have such wonderful inventions as Scruff and Craigslist, but even for straight people don't they use match.com and the like? Maybe I'm off base with this assumption, but for people addicted to google and their cell phones I'm shocked they agreed to go on this date without seeing a picture of each other first.
But, I should stop thinking so hard. It is a mess, but generally a fun one. Plus it was nice to see Zachary and Krysta on stage.
PS- For Chuck fans, Zachary's favorite show is Quantum Leap, which was referenced on the show when it was revealed that Scott Bakula was Chuck's father.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
