Review of ’50 First Dates, The Musical’: “Solid production can’t conceal writing’s absent-mindedness”

Peter Segal’s 2004 romantic comedy film flies to the stage in a brand new musical adaptation, celebrating its world premiere in London’s Off-West End scene. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show to let us know if attending this love-affair memorial is a no-brainer.

I wouldn’t say we’re having a musical climate emergency, but its supporters may have grounds for a case. I’ve said before (probably not enough times), but just as not every album or group deserves to have their oeuvre turned into stage work, not every single early 2000s comedy is worthy of the spotlight — whether that’s mainstream or Off-West End.

We can easily see the many reasons why producers would want to transform a moderately successful movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore into an uncomplicated, syrupy melange of thoughtless song and dance — it didn’t do too bad at the box office and its formulaic content should appeal to anyone that’s just looking for a nice night out without too much spice on their plate. In a similar way, I could bring just as many arguments against doing it — at least, in the manner it’s being done.

Nobody’s asking for a cutting-edge, revelatory evening when coming to watch a rom-com. And there’s certainly nothing wrong about not wanting anything else. If you offered me a free ticket (I’m spoiled) to attend Mama Mia! once again, it wouldn’t take me longer than one second to say yes. Yet, what’s so special about a 25-year-old jukebox show featuring 80s songs and an easy recount about the heart’s trials and tribulations — most likely, all that 50 First Dates is lacking.

If you haven’t watched the film, here comes a mid-plot spoiler. The script has all the usual elements of a traditional heteronormative humourous love story: a goofy guy with a questionable background but good-spirited intentions; a charming female co-lead who plays hard to get and with whom he becomes infatuated; and a meet-cute moment, this time at a Hawaiian cafe, where he instantly realises she’s the sole reason for his existence — in other words, a cash cow for psychologists.

There’s a twist in this otherwise overdone premise: no matter how magical that first encounter gets, and all those that follow, it will never be memorable. Lucy has been suffering from short-term amnesia for a year after having a car accident — anything taking place afterwards is erased from her mind just like the day dies.

It’s an emotionally powerful concept, which, given the right treatment, could lead to an endearing, resonant, and above all, quite amusing journey. This version might not be the opposite, but surely it doesn’t offer much in any of those fields. Yes, we can be occasionally touched by the struggles everyone goes through in relation to Lucy’s condition. Yet, no matter how hard the musical tries to pull at the heartstrings through bombastic belt-out ballads, its poignancy never materialises entirely — and that should be blamed on the derivative nature of all its key aspects.

There’s no denying that book and songwriters David Rossmer and Steve Rossen have crafted an ear-pleasing score — but that’s also what’s made it so anodyne. For the most part, it’s too bland, unoriginal, and eventually, forgettable. All the tunes feel too safe and uninspired — capable of conveying sentiment but not much individuality. No melody gets stuck in your head or even strikes you as something remotely unique. And its only exception, a simple theme that Lucy hums as her character’s leitmotif, is disappointingly close to anthems we’ve heard long before in previous and arguably better-shaped pieces such as La Cage Aux Folles.

Both book and lyrics serve their purpose in what one would expect from a recount of this kind — sadly, that doesn’t set a very high level. The dialogue flows with adequate organicness, and the verses are generally well-shaped in terms of style. But at the same time, most of the jokes are extremely predictable and very rarely land. The words don’t stand too far away from those issues either. There’s attention to pattern and structure, but always from an effortless attitude that usually opts for simplistic rhymes, scarce subtext, and little to no depth.

We could comfortably agree that this is a case of form over content. Admittedly, the whole production is, in many ways, an absolute triumph. Fly Davis’s dynamic staging cleverly builds the show’s seaside ambience with virtually no shortcomings — the epilogue’s quick trip to Venice, however, is another story. White wooden boards cover the entire space, while a revolving house in the middle seamlessly transitions from restaurant to family home — sometimes hidden by a small plain curtain, on which George Reeve’s video projections provide the picture’s finishing strokes. It’s clean and manageable — and its effectiveness is indisputable.

The company is avowedly the production’s other forte. All the renditions are executed with immaculate prowess. Their vocals are refreshingly faultless and, more often than not, astounding to witness. Their acting is compelling, and many of them, with a special mention to Chad Saint Louis as Sandy, flaunt a delightful, innate comedic ability. And ultimately, the chemistry and rapport they so palpably project towards each other is unutterably electrifying — with Georgina Castle and George St. Clair portraying one of the most enchanting couples we’ve come across onstage in a while.

There’s no need for a cerebral exploration of the human condition when it comes to an uncomplex classic plot of boy meets girl. Yet, its germinal idea should aim for something at least more insightful and moving. Not deviating too much from its source material, with the most noticeable change coming from the protagonist’s career shift, 50 First Dates, The Musical fails to encapsulate what gives value to its genre, much like the movie did. Performatively strong but feeblish from a creative perspective, the whole concoction is a hit-and-miss effort with some key praiseworthy features but far more to improve. I hope nothing’s slipped my mind with this review.

All pictures credit to Pamela Raith.

50 First Dates, The Musical plays at London’s The Other Palace until 16 November. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara