First Date

Pursued by Bear continue their quest to outdo themselves with every new production, so it’s always a delight to see their shows, especially when one is an Australian Premiere.

First Date is a delightful (off) Broadway show with a witty and smart book by Austin Windberg, and songs by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, which won’t stretch you, but which add to the charm of the evening. An extra benefit is the transposing of the show from America to Fitzroy, so we know the urbanised Aussie accents are totally natural.

The story is simple: uptight young banker meets neurotic serial dater of bad boys in a coffee shop to find out what, if anything, they have in common. That’s it in a nutshell but it’s beautifully written and the songs grow organically, and it’s produced and directed with real care and affection. Quite simply, it’s a gem of an offering for all musical lovers. What does feel a little dated is the premise of a blind date organised by friends. It’s much more likely that the couple would have met on the Internet, but that’s a minor quibble when the overall result is so entertaining.

Fresh from VCA, Jordan Mahar plays Aaron as a nerdy but endearing and totally three-dimensional character, with a great voice. He doesn’t look like our stereotypical leading man, but in every other respect he owns the stage and proves himself a major new talent, never less than totally convincing and handling the acting side with ease.  This outing is enough to build him a fan following – with me included.

Rebecca Hetherington plays the less sympathetic Casey. She has a belting voice and great stage appeal, but she hasn’t yet found the inner truth or empathy of the character and her acting left me a little unconvinced.

The ensemble comprises music theatre stalwarts Nicole Melloy, Adam Porter, Daniel Cosgrove, Danielle O’Malley and Stephen Valeri. Each have cameo roles in which to shine - and shine they do, showing once again the depth of talent we have in Music Theatre in Melbourne. They play friends, relatives, even an imaginary child, lending great voices and characterisation throughout, with the added bonus of Melloy’s sensational legs.

Mark Taylor has directed with integrity and a clear affection for both his cast and the material. He moves his cast with confidence and gives clear vision for the emotional arcs. It would be a hard heart indeed who didn’t feel completely involved in the relationships and part of the Small Timbers Café.

That café forms the entire set, brilliantly designed by Sarah Tulloch. It feels like a place any one of us would want to hang out in, and you can even buy a good coffee, from the impressive coffee machine, for only $3 a cup. Some of the audience even chose to sit at the tables and chairs in the set itself. I have never seen the Chapel used so well or so inventively. It’s an award-worthy set on a limited budget.

There is a kitchen at the back which dispenses real food (burgers, dips, salads,) to the characters and the man in the chef’s hat is actually drummer Cambel Phillips: the kitchen being an ingenious way to balance the percussion sound.

Stephanie-Jane Lowendon-Lowe, on piano, musically directs the talented group of musicians. This is not music that any of us knows, but she makes the most of it with clarity - the same cannot be said of the sound overall which is often muddy, or drowned by the band, but that will no doubt be fixed.

The trade off for the fabulous set means a limited amount of space means for Joel Anderson’s sparkling choreography, but what there is works a treat

With so much that is ho-hum on the Main Stage, this is 90 minutes of joy for theatre-goers. I hope it goes to Sydney – perhaps to the Hayes. Pursued by Bear productions are created with love, and you can never get enough of that.

Coral Drouyn

Images: Rebecca Hetherington and Jordon Mahar; Rebecca Hetherington, Nicole Melloy, Daniel Cosgrove, Adam Porter and Danielle O'Malley; & Adam Porter, Danielle O'Malley, Stephen Valeri, Nicole Melloy and Daniel Cosgrove. Photographer: Ben Fon.