Watch real-life married couple and American Idol alums Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young meet and try to find love all over again in this weekend’s livestream of First Date, presented exclusively on Stellar by Art Lab and ShowTown Productions (collaborators on previous online productions of the musicals Disenchanted and Amour).
The romantic comedy by Austin Winsberg (book) and Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (music and lyrics), which made its Broadway debut in 2013, starring Krysta Rodriguez and Zachary Levi, tells the story of two single mismatched New Yorkers on a blind date – a relatable, laughable, and cringe-worthy situation for anyone who’s ever suffered through an awkward faux-pas-filled evening while searching for the right one.
Directed by Meg Fofonoff, the new online version features the fine supporting cast of Kevin Massey (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder), Jennifer Sanchez (Pretty Woman: The Musical), Nick Cearley (‘‘The Skivvies’’), Vishal Vaidya (Groundhog Day), and Aurelia Williams (Once on this Island), and a contemporary pop score. The actors are backed by a four-piece band (Elena Bonomo on drums, Josh Plotner on reeds, Jakob Reinhardt on guitars, and Yuka Tadano on bass), with musical direction by Julie McBride, and Cynthia Meng serving as musical supervisor.
If you’re in the mood for a light-hearted look at the traumas of the dating scene by a top-notch team, you have only three more chances to tune in to see if Jewish Wall Streeter Aaron (Young) and atheist artist Casey (DeGarmo) call the whole thing off, hope for a better second date, or maybe even find that opposites really do attract.
First Date streams on Saturday, July 24, at 8 pm, and Sunday, July 25, at 2 pm and 8 pm, on Stellar. For tickets, priced at $20 for the livestream at your selected date and time, go online.
