New England Review: Hartford Stage Makes Good Choice with "Bad Dates"

"Bad Dates"

Written by Theresa Rebeck, Directed by Jeremy B. Cohen, Scenic Design by Jeff Cowie, Costume Design by Alejo Vietti, Lighting Design by Rui Rita, Original Music & Sound Design by John Gromada

With Annalee Jefferies as Haley

Performances: Now through February 12

Box Office: 860-525-5601 or www.hartfordstage.org

When Haley, the single working mom in Theresa Rebeck's one-woman play "Bad Dates" currently being presented at the Hartford Stage, spends the first 10 minutes trying on (and talking about) all manner of trendy shoes, you start to wonder if it's going to be a long night at the theater. Fortunately that fear soon melts into enchantment as the very accomplished Annalee Jefferies as Haley casts her charms and draws her audience into her perky – and downright quirky – world of divorcee dating.

At rise, Jefferies is fretting over her outfit (and her shoes) because she wants to make a good impression on this, her first real date in five years. Her last date, she confides, drew numerous comparisons between her life and the movie "Mildred Pierce." She acknowledges there were some similarities – she was divorced, had a daughter named Vera, and was a waitress in a restaurant. She stresses, however, that she did not marry and subsequently kill her "Monte." She simply chose never to see him again.

Now in a better frame of mind – her daughter is older, she has been promoted to manager, and she has the confidence that a successful career can bring – Haley has decided to try again. New attitude in hand (and well considered shoes on feet), she strides out the door to meet the challenge. Upon her return, she makes it eminently clear that the date went, well, rather badly.

With an adorable, playful, optimistic, and humorously self-effacing quality reminiscent of Gwen Verdon in "Sweet Charity," Jefferies proceeds to regale the audience with tales of her progressively more calamitous bad dates. She talks of Bug Guy and Wretched Companion, the first a Tibetan Buddhist she met on a retreat and the second a blind date arranged by her mother. In between she argues with her never seen daughter who plays rock music behind her closed bedroom door and spills all the gory details of her dates to her brother on the phone. She also shares her intrigue with the Romanian mob that owns her restaurant – as if there weren't enough spice on the table already.

Jefferies is both personally self-assured and romantically vulnerable as Haley. She gives us a woman who can manage temperamental chefs and cantankerous customers but who also fantasizes about finding a strong, take-charge kind of guy who could make her feel safe and completely feminine. She is alternately tough, funny, and endearing. It's hard to see how any man could leave her in the first place.

Playwright Rebeck has been careful not to turn "Bad Dates" into a bash fest against men. Instead it is a slightly exaggerated slice of real life that cleverly and humorously exposes the all too common foibles of dating the second time around. The narrative, and Jefferies' wonderful portrayal, are so natural and vivid that the audience can practically see the dating scenarios unfold before them. "Bad Dates" is not a substantial play, by any means, but it is heartwarming and very entertaining.

Perhaps what we can learn about men from "Bad Dates" is in the shoes. The most attractive ones aren't always the most comfortable. You have to find ones that fit and that complement your outfit. If they hurt and draw all the attention, get rid of them. After all, who needs to put up with a nasty blister when there's still a whole lot of walking left to do?

 

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