Musical Comedy, First Date produced by Central Theatre

Central College will showcase First Date, a romantic musical comedy about the horrors, humiliations and occasional happy surprises of blind dates. The musical tells the story of blind date newbie Aaron as he meets serial dater Casey, and their first date turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner.

Performances will be 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Kruidenier Theatre on Central's campus. A matinee performance also will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1.
Directed by Ron Rybkowski, technical director and lecturer of theatre, this musical comedy features a cast and crew of 30 students.

When tightly wound Aaron is set up with cool girl Casey, a quick drink turns into a hilarious dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. In a delightful and unexpected twist, Casey and Aaron's inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines. Can this couple turn what could be a dating disaster into something special before the check arrives?
First date is produced by Central's department of visual and performing arts. First Date is based on the book by Austin Winsberg with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. It premiered on Broadway in 2013 and contains adult content, adult language, haze and strobing effects.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and Central students. Admission is free for Central students and employees with a student ID. Tickets are available at https://central.universitytickets.com.