Krysta Rodriguez: Broadway Play "First Date" Mimics Real-life Romance
New York City is alive with conversation, bright lights and people bumbling about with curiosity. Within the doors of one of its many restaurants, two individuals are undoubtedly sitting together for the first time, on a blind date, attempting to connect and find out if the person positioned across from him/her can better his/her life, or better yet, his/her evening. "First Date," the new Broadway play starring Zachary Levi ("Chuck") and Euro-Latina actress Krysta Rodriguez ("Smash"), captures that experience in a 90-minute performance that is overrun with wit and charisma.
Fresh off of the heels of their 100th performance, "First Date" documents the encounter between two strangers, tightly-wound Aaron (Levi) and laid-back Casey (Rodriguez) on a high-stakes dinner, that's happening in real time. Aaron is vulnerable, after being left at the altar; and Casey is a jaded, but a hoplessly romantic serial dater. As the date unfolds, the couple finds that the restaurant's patrons have transformed into parents, ex-lovers and best friends, who act as chorus, singing and dancing throughout the appetizer and main course, until the arrival of the check.
Casey, the show's leading lady, plays a character who believes she knows every type of man, because she believes that she's seen it all and done it all, but she hasn't though - Rodriguez has, in regards to performance.
The young veteran singer and dancer has appeared on stage in "Good Vibrations," "A Chorus Line," "Spring Awakening," "In the Heights," and she originated the role of Wednesday Addams in the Broadway-bound musical, "The Addams Family." She was also in the film, "The Virginity Hit;" and on the series "Gossip Girl" as Jordan Steele, and a prominent character on the second season of NBC series "Smash," portraying an aspiring Broadway performer by the name of Ana Vargas. Despite her years of experience, "First Date" marks her first appearance in a lead role.
"I have been preparing my whole life to be an actress in order to step up when it was my time," said Rodriguez, during an interview with NBC Latino. "Once I realized that this was something I could do, my life changed. Everything became about that goal. When the possibility and the yearning come together and you've found what you want to do - well, that's what people look for their entire lives."
Rodriguez remarked that the show mimics real-life chemical romance, as opposed to dramatic hyperbolic love that's mainstay on the screen and stage, which is what makes the show one-of-a-kind.
To learn more about the show, and to check scheduling and ticketing, click here.