Review of ‘Daddy’s First Gay Date’: “Flavourless new rom-com is bound to stay in the dark room”

London’s Seven Dials Playhouse hosts the world premiere of Sam Danson’s latest work, exploring sexual identity through a story of love, friendship, and self-discovery. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show to let us know if its humour has twink-le and the plot is good enough for us to bear.

I wouldn’t advise anyone to keep their hopes up when it comes to gay theatre. It rarely is worth the effort. Maybe it’s because the authors specializing in this genre haven’t developed their craft yet, or maybe it’s just that audiences aren’t demanding enough. Still, the London scene (and probably beyond) has been facing a major problem with most of its LGBT+ content — especially comedies. And regardless of how much d*ck you get to see, they’re hardly something that gets inside you.

Daddy’s First Gay Date may not fall for any gratuitous nudity (thank God… wait, really?), but that doesn’t exempt it from the many other faults that compromise and eventually make its quality crash. The title holds some promise. So does it premise — a middle-aged man living a heteronormative lifestyle suddenly realises he’s bisexual, and decides to embrace his sexuality by ending his joyless straight marriage and going on a date (and a few more) with another man.

It’s not an original concept, but the possibilities for a charming, amusing, and potentially meaningful recount still linger there. Sadly, playwright Sam Danson seems to have turned a blind eye to each one of them. Not only is itn’t remotely deep or resonant, it’s also extremely boring.

There’s virtually nothing in the script able to lure viewers into its narrative — let alone keep them engaged. If the story wasn’t too original to begin with, its execution is beyond heavy-handed. There are no aspects in its writing that exhibit the tiniest speck of inspiration — the dialogue is clunky and banal; the jokes are predictable and painfully unfunny; the plot fails to compel or come up with any interesting turns; and the characters are no more than a tired rehash of old cliches.

The most frustrating part of it is how easy it would have been to get it right. There’s so much poignancy brimming from its germinal idea. And yet, the text is absolutely incapable of unlocking it. It comes as no-brainer to build its foundation on the themes of personal self-discovery and the usual fear of rejection that follows, particularly for LGBT+ individuals. And to some extent, that’s what this tale does, but in such a limited and one-dimensional way that it doesn’t feel like it’s even trying.

By the time Act One finishes (yes, they expect you to come back), our investment in what we’re watching (and, sadly, too often disconnecting from) is completely gone. Despite the thrills, chills (not in the gay sense), and tears of his new romance, combined with a turbulent relationship with his ex-wife and soon-to-be mother, the play can’t offer us the slightest hook. And the addition of unnecessary, formulaic slapstick skits only helps perpetuate its overall lack of appeal.

We can give some credit to the cast, who admittedly do their best with the insipid, flawed, and unresponsive material they’re given. All in all, their acting flaunts naturalness and comedic stamina. However, their attempts to boost the script’s nonexistent humour come across as excessive and, most unfortunately, futile for the most part — hopelessly endeavouring to amend something that’s permanently broken.

Despite coming from (and perhaps in) a good place, Daddy’s First Gay Date struggles to convey any redeeming features or elements of glory on the whole, presenting us with a bland, unpolished, and highly ineffective storyline that barely defends its right to be on a stage. Put together through shoddy staging and problematic blocking, the play could still have a second chance should it undergo a thorough makeover. So far, if the show had been a Grindr profile, an instant block would have followed.

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All pictures credit to Jason Locke.

Daddy’s First Gay Date plays at London’s Seven Dials Playhouse until 16 November. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara