(Review contributed by Charles LaBorde)
To borrow a lyric from an older Broadway musical, “Do you wanna have fun? Laughs? Good times?” Then “First Date,” the current musical offering in Fort Mill Community Playhouse’s 45th season (!!!), is definitely the show for you.
I caught the final dress/preview with a nearly full audience last night. From the laughter all around me and the broad smile on my wife’s face throughout the night, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one having that afore-mentioned good time.
First let me say something for the uninitiated about Fort Mill Community Playhouse. It is a small, almost hidden gem on Main Street in the historic downtown of Fort Mill, South Carolina. And it has been producing work with love, skill, and talent for almost half a century. It has a postage-stamp sized theatre with a stage to match. (You even have to share your bathroom visits with the cast, orchestra, and crew.) These physical factors force them into producing high-energy, simple, small cast musicals. But these physical details are not limitations—at least when they have a director with the many talents of Scott Albert. They are catapults to creativity.
“First Date” is just such a show. Small and unpretentious with catchy but largely forgettable songs, it was written by Austin Winsberg with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. Let’s face it, folks, it won’t get you to forget “Hamilton” or “Les Miz,” but it will give you a good time with lots of laughs and lots of opportunities to cheer for its highly spirited and daring cast.
We are in a simple situation: a West Village gastropub is the setting for a—wait for it—first date between two lonely people, Casey and Aaron, played ably and delightfully by Destiney Wolfe and Zack Linick. They are supported by a five-person Greek-style chorus of loonies (Coleman David Campbell, Kellie Kennedy, Lura Zimmerman, Tristan Nogueira, and Paul Leopard) who play over a dozen different people from the past, current, and future lives of our fledgling couple.
Everyone does his job effectively in this production. The thing that makes it work is director Scott Albert’s tight direction and the willingness of every member of his cast to leave it all on the stage. Do you need a crazy dance or two even on this tiny stage? Choreographer Vanessa Davis has the skills to make it happen with hilarious results. Do you need sparkling vignettes? Then look for wonderful moments like the overly “theatrical waiter” (Paul Leopard at his funniest) or an overly “theatrical” best friend played delightfully over the top by Tristan Nogueira. The two leads do most of the musical heavy lifting, such as it is. Zack Linick makes a perfectly nebbishy guy who anchors the whole affair.
Other elements—set, lighting, costumes—are just enough to make us believe we are in that NYC bar. To top it all off they have crowded in a real live band into this tiny space. And it is just what this show needs. No sing-along tracks here. Music director Vicki Harvell on keyboards, the multi-talented Jeremy DeCarlos on guitar, and JeVone “JP” Primus on drums bring their energy throughout.
FMCP is doing ten performances of this little gem of a show, but rumor has it that they are almost sold out for the entire run. So if you want to catch this show for some laughs and a lot of good old fashioned musical comedy, you’d better act quickly.
Purchase tickets on the website: fortmillplayhouse.org, or call 803-548-8102. Performances are June 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 at 7:30 p.m., and June 8, 15, 21, 22 at 3 p.m.
The Reviewer:
Charles LaBorde is a Charlotte-based playwright, director, and educator with a distinguished career in the arts. He holds a Ph.D. in theatre from The Ohio State University and a doctoral certification in educational administration from the University of North Carolina. LaBorde is the founder of the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, where he served as principal for 15 years. His plays have been performed nationally and internationally, including Memorial, Protective Custody Prisoner 34042, and One Year to Die, which explores his family’s experiences during World War II. LaBorde has received numerous awards for his work, including national and regional playwriting accolades, and was honored with the Marian Smith Lifetime Career Achievement Award by the North Carolina Theatre Conference.