It’s a show Karen Brotherton has wanted to direct for several years.
“First Date” is funny and has witty dialogue, according to Brotherton, who is directing her first show for North Augusta’s Riverfront Theatre Co. this weekend. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 and 23 and 3 p.m. Oct. 24 at the North Augusta Community Center.
The wait to finally get the musical comedy on stage has been well worth it.
“I have a brilliant cast,” said Brotherton of the show about a blind date and all the voices in the couple’s heads.
“First Date” is about tightly wound Aaron who is set up with Casey.
“A quick drink turns into a hilarious dinner served with sides of Google background checks, fake emergency calls, a slew of bad boy and uptown girl exes and some seriously saucy chemistry. Can this mismatched pair turn what could be dating disaster into something special before the check arrives or end up at another table for one?” according to broadway.com.
The show first opened on Broadway in August 2013.
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Brotherton is working with actors she’s familiar with including Peter Brannigan who plays Aaron.
The two met in 2009 when they appeared in the Augusta Players production of “Peter Pan.”
Brotherton was the adult Wendy and Brannigan was one of the Darling children.
Brotherton said she’s basically watched Brannigan grow up in the theater.
Several of the performers are fresh out of the Augusta Players production of “Young Frankenstein” staged last month. Brannigan played Igor, and Sol Baird, who’s in “First Date” played Frederick Frankenstein.
The cast is comprised of seven actors with five of them playing multiple roles.
The hilarity ensues because the parts played by the ensemble are comprised of daydream like sequences and the characters they play are over-the-top renditions of people in the lives of the couple.
The North Augusta Community Center doesn’t have a stage, so Brotherton has brought in risers to give the area some levels and the feel of a black box theater. The show lends itself to a more intimate set.
The Riverfront Theatre Co. is making its return. Richard Justice led the theater company and directed multiple shows. He died in August 2020 from complications with COVID-19, and the season is dedicated to him, Brotherton said.
Tickets are $25 and are available at riverfronttheatre.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
