Passing Judgement on a Blind Date Reviewed by Mary Alderson What do you do when you want to meet someone new, fall in love, and settle down with them?  That’s what Aaron wants. Casey says that’s what she wants, too, but then she seems to sabotage every prospect. What to do?  Go on a blind date! First Date is a musical about going on a blind date and all the ways any success could be undermined. Now on stage at the Regent Theatre in Picton, this show is the opposite of a meet-cute story. Aaron shows up at the restaurant first, in his investment banker’s suit. Casey comes a little later, dressed for partying. Aaron’s nervous, Casey has some attitude. So, it’s drinks first, before a commitment to having dinner. Then the problems begin. Both characters are hearing their inner voices, in the form of friends and relatives, telling them what to do. Casey’s gay friend Reggie sings about how he’s her bailiff. He makes regular calls to her: if the blind date is a disaster she will answer and he will bail her out with some fake disaster. Casey also hears her big sister Lauren telling her to give Aaron a chance. Lauren’s husband works with Aaron and he set up the blind date. At the same time, Aaron is hearing his buddy Gabe telling him to hang in there, forget about his ex, Allison, and give this woman a chance. At the same time, Allison shows up and it’s evident that even though she left him at the altar, he still is pathetically longing for her. So those four characters are not actually present in the restaurant. Nevertheless, our blind date couple are hearing those voices and acting accordingly – either taking bad advice or ignoring good advice. ...