FIRST DATE Now Available for Licensing Through R&H Theatricals

The 2013 Broadway musical FIRST DATE, a hysterical and hopeful musical about the chances we all take to find love, is now available for Professional Theatrical licensing from R&H Theatricals, and its score will be published by Imagem Music, each a division of the Imagem Music Group. The original musical features music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (Disney's TWICE CHARMED) and a book by Austin Winsberg (TV's "Gossip Girl", "Jake in Progress").

The authors spent many afternoons in Los Angeles coffee bars commiserating about their love lives, and used their romantic tribulations as source material for FIRST DATE. Though the show takes place over the course of one evening, the three writers have been preparing for this date for decades.

The funny yet poignant show follows blind date newbie Aaron as he is set up with serial-dater Casey. A casual drink turns into a hilarious high stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. In a delightful and unexpected twist, Casey and Aaron's inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines.

FIRST DATE was developed in Seattle by the 5th Avenue Theatre and A Contemporary Theater, and ran at ACT in early 2012 before arriving at Broadway's Longacre Theatre in August 2013. An Original Broadway Cast Recording was recently released by Yellow Sound Label, and a Songbook Folio will be published shortly by Imagem Music.

R&H President Ted Chapin said, "I remember reading a quote from New York Times theatre critic Brooks Atkinson on the album of BYE BYE BIRDIE: 'the audience was beside itself with pleasure.' That is exactly the feeling I got the night I saw FIRST DATE at the Longacre - all around me people were simply delirious. I felt then and there that this was a show we should add to our catalogue. I am thrilled that we were able to make an arrangement for R&H Theatricals to represent this funny, hip, and very smart show."

In a joint statement, the authors said, "We are so honored for FIRST DATE to be joining the illustrious Rodgers & Hammerstein/Imagem catalog of musicals. It is an absolute thrill to have all of our awkward and embarrassing dating experiences made available for performances around the world. We hope that our contemporary musical exploration of the trials of dating and finding 'the one' will provide laughter and comfort for anyone who has ever been on a first date."

FIRST DATE is currently available for Professional Theatrical licensing, with performances beginning September 1, 2014. For more information, visit www.rnh.com or contact the professional licensing division at 212-699-6523 or protheatre@rnh.com. For the United Kingdom and select European territories, contact R&H Theatricals Europe attheatricals@rnh.com, or call +44 (0)20 7054 7200.

Theatricals, with offices in New York and London, represents the stage performance rights to over 100 musicals by more than 200 writers. These include works by Rodgers & Hammerstein (including OKLAHOMA!, SOUTH PACIFIC and THE SOUND OF MUSIC), Rodgers & Hart (PAL JOEY, BABES IN ARMS) and Kern & Hammerstein (SHOW BOAT), as well as musicals by Irving Berlin (ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, WHITE CHRISTMAS), Andrew Lloyd Webber ( CATS, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), Adam Guettel (THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA), such perennials as FOOTLOOSE, BIG RIVER and ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, and the longest-running revues in the history of Broadway - SMOKEY JOE'S CAFÉ - and Off-Broadway - I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE. Recently added titles include IN THE HEIGHTS, CARRIE the musical, ORDINARY DAYS, A CATERED AFFAIR, MEET JOHN DOE, A MINISTER'S WIFE, TITLE OF SHOW, REFFER MADNESS, ALTAR BOYZ and MID-LIFE! THE CRISIS MUSICAL.

Imagem Music is the pop music division of the Imagem Music Group (André de Raaff, co-founder). Home to the Elvis Presley catalogue as well as such talent as Ludacris, Phil Collins, Genesis, Anna Nalick, Steve Robson, Temper Trap, Bombay Bicycle Club, Counting Crows and more, Imagem Music has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and the Netherlands, and exclusive agents all over the world. For more, visit: www.imagem-music.com. The Imagem Music Group is the world's largest independent music publisher, which, in addition to its ever-expanding pop catalogues, is unique for its leadership role in classical music (Boosey& Hawkes) and musicals (Rodgers & Hammerstein). For more, visit: www.imagem.com.