MTG looks for love, laughs in 'First Date'
Modern musical comedy “First Date” is the spring excursion of the Musical Theatre Guild of Butler.
The show opens Friday at the William A. Lehnerd Performance Hall in Memorial Park.
Under the direction of Kristin Double and Randal Krampert with Jessica Sanzotti as musical director, this PG-13 show tells the story of when Aaron meets Casey.
Drinks lead to a high-stakes dinner with a Top 40 soundtrack, and the audience gets to experience their first date.
Casey is played by Megan Flannery, who recently came back to the area from Washington state.
“Casey is a 'serial dater' and has been on plenty of blind and first dates. She's had bad luck in the past and doesn't have the most optimistic outlook on dating,” noted Flannery.
“Casey is a lot of fun for me to play because she speaks her mind and stands up for what she believes in. She also deals with things that allow me to express some emotions I've dealt with in the past, and I think that allows the audience to really get an authentic experience,” she added.
The character is a cool girl, but Flannery sees herself as more goofy than her character.
“It's been a challenge to channel that confidence and edginess Casey has,” she said.
Ryan Lubin of New Castle teaches English by day at New Castle Senior High School and wears several hats in this performance by night.
“Although I play a few roles throughout the show, my primary role is the waiter. He is waiting on Aaron and Casey as they are on their first date, and he is a hopeless romantic. He's snarky, yet sweet, and he lives vicariously through other people's relationships since he can't find his own,” Lubin said.
He said he draws on his own experience as a waiter for this role.
“This show taps into the clichés of trying restlessly to find love. It parodies the awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time, and the risks we have to take to let someone into our lives,” he said.
This is Lubin's first time performing with MTG and he said he's enjoying it. Appearing in several cabaret-style shows, Lubin was last in a full production as Annas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Red Barn Theatre last summer.
Also tackling several roles in this production is Emily-Ann Stephens of Brentwood Borough.
“I play several different characters that are all very different, but all affect the main characters in some way,” she said.
The characters she plays span a wide range of ages. “My one character is a Jewish grandmother, so having to play someone that is much older than I normally play has been a bit of a challenge,” she said.
Also starring in the show are Whitney Angeloni Ruediger, Daniel Terwilliger and Nathan Osche.
The show contains adult themes and dialog.
WHO: Musical Theatre GuildWHAT: “First Date”WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 20, 21, 27 and 28 and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29WHERE: William A. Lehnerd Performance Hall at the rear of Memorial ParkTICKETS: $17, available at mtgbutler.org
