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A CurtainUp Review
Bad Dates
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I was just another person who married a moron and had a load of shit to deal with.
---Haley |
The restaurant becomes hip, and gets a rave in the Times and Haley decides that she's devoted enough time to her career and her daughter and to start dating again. Easier said than done. As most single women know, it can be hard to find a good single man in the city, especially with a time-consuming career.
Bad Dates opens with Haley dressing for her first date and talking to us about her life and expectations for the evening. She tries on outfits, scatters clothes about, and tries on many of her 600 pairs of shoes. The show continues in this vein. Haley dresses, goes out on a date, and tells us about the last date as she dresses for the next one. Naturally, it's a bumpy road and some of these dates that are spectacular failures. Just as Haley finds a man who could be a real possibility, the Romanian mob makes a surprise appearance, and her life goes haywire.
This isn't the most intellectual of shows, but no matter -- there's more than enough humor to counterbalance the fluffiness. The contrivances are made warm and entertaining by Julie White's ebullience. She's a perfect fit for the talkative and warm-hearted character. She draws the audience into her confidence, chatters away about shoes and men and food. By the time events turn sinister, Haley's won our sympathy. How could she not? She's trying so hard to remain generous in spite of blind dates and the Feds.
The set is strewn with clothing and shoes; it's a standard female bedroom, although it's awfully spacious for a Manhattan bedroom. The lighting is soft and atmospheric, ideal for Haley's long soliloquy, and her outfits are carefully chosen. The shoes are the production's costume jewel, however. There are so many -- and they are all fabulous. For a former waitress, Haley is very well acquainted with the world of designer shoes—-Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Blahnik, all are represented. Most of the men she goes out with don't deserve such beautiful shoes.
Actor John Benjamin Hickey has chosen the perfect date fare for his directing debut. Besides being funny and lighthearted, it's a pleasure to watch Julie White perform. If nothing else, women will love those shoes.
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BAD DATES Written by Theresa Rebeck Directed by John Benjamin Hickey Starring Julie White Set Design by Derek McLane Sound Design by Bruce Ellman Lighting Design by Frances Aronson Costume Design by Mattie Ullrich Running time: 95 minutes without intermission Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd Street, 212/279-4200 6/03/03-6/29/03-- extended to 7/06/03; opening 6/15/03 Tuesday through Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30, Sunday at 2:30 and 7:00 Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on June 14th performance |
Ridiculous!The Theatrical Life & Times of Charles Ludlam
Somewhere For Me, a Biography of Richard Rodgers
The New York Times Book of Broadway: On the Aisle for the Unforgettable Plays of the Last Century
6, 500 Comparative Phrases including 800 Shakespearean Metaphors by CurtainUp's editor.
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