Monday, April 23, 2007

Bad Dates

Portland Center Stage
Posted by Frenchglen April 22; closes June 10

Looking for love in all the wrong labels. Mass-produced language and unexceptional story drowned out by frenetic, non-stop shoe and clothing changes. Despite kitchen sink TV sitcom realism, character’s social background and milieu decidedly unreal. An unintentional critique of consumer culture and the shopping mindset as applied to NYC dating.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Although I did enjoy this production, for some reason it wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, it was a woman talking about a few of her dates, but it was not really about dating experiences so much as her life story. I thought it was going to be more like "sex in the city". However I did like it, because it was fun, and cute and I love shoes.. but honestly, it could have been funnier.

Anonymous said...

I liked this show better than I expected to. I had expected a more over-the-top, farcical recitation of awful nights out, but the story turned out to be more grounded and realistic than that. Given that, the semi-melodramatic climax was something of a writing letdown. The continual movement -- continuous trying-on and discarding of various outfits and shoes -- was a good way to enhance visually what was often little more than a monologue.