Review: Daddy's First Gay Date (Seven Dials Playhouse)

Review by Oliver Briggs

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daddy’s First Gay Date is a modern, accessible and genuine piece of theatre traversing the unchartered territory that is coming out as queer at an older age. The production saw a small UK tour leading up to its off-West End run, but going in I had no idea what to expect, as is the case with many first dates. Produced and written by Sam Danson, the script attempts to answer the question, “Is it selfish to leave someone in order to find yourself?”

Through the play we see a middle-age Ben, played by Danson himself, break off a dwindling relationship with his partner of 15 years, Helen, played by Megan Edmondson. Ben’s adoration and inhibitions are let loose when he bumps into Tim, Dior Clarke, a seasoned queer waiter going through his own troubles. What follows is a journey of emotion, passion, laughs and whole-hearted conversation.

Directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair, this production bursts with creativity and character, offering plenty of laugh-out-loud moments such as the reveal of Ben’s vest and the energy of Manchester’s club scene are pure theatre gold. Beadle-Blair’s direction makes clever use of the space, with every movement feeling intentional. However, a few scenes felt a little restrained, as if they were holding something back. At times, the action seemed to move far upstage and lost its spark, creating a sense of distance between the cast and the audience. Still, when the performance connects, it really connects and those moments both shine and stick in my head.

The performances from the cast are outstanding, with everybody providing each other with warmth and generosity. It’s a well balanced cast where nobody steals the limelight and each member brings a great energy to their characters. This provides for a show that rarely strikes a static or unattentive moment. Danson's jittery portrayal of Ben alongside Clarke’s to the point Tim, and Edmondson’s witty playing of Helen, create a mostly fluid and dynamic performance. The entirely different characters' energies alone should be enough to entice a person to see it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the elements that made up the show, the sound especially, as well as the on-stage furnishings. Many scenes utilise sound in a totally brilliant way, oftentimes if in a restaurant, there is low-level background chitter chatter and cutlery clashing, outside by a road there are cars whizzing by. What made the sound especially brilliant is that it doesn't stop at ‘lets have these noises there’. You can tell real thought has gone into how loud the sound is, should it be muffled, does it get quieter. This is particularly noticeable the difference between inside a club and in the outdoor smoking area. We hear a loud, poppy Dua Lipa bop, swapping immediately (upon the change in scenery) to a muffled, bass heavy feeling that reflects, near identically, how an outdoors area feels withib a club environment. I could honestly find no flaw in any of the sound design.

The lighting design was fairly useful for splitting the stage, and allowing for an even more intimate or isolated scene in an already intimate theatre. A strong, opening example of this is Tim’s phone call in the restaurant. The soft edged profile light des not remove him from the scene, however does shift the audience's focus towards him and his conversation. The difference between the pulsing club and the quiet, smoky outdoors hits you instantly;  that precise attention to sound that makes you feel like you’re really there with them.

All-in-all, I found Daddy’s First Gay Date to be an amazing watch. It’s a beautiful play with a perfect mix of laughter and emotion carried by an intimate theatre and a scene-painting soundscape.

Daddy's First Gay Date plays at Seven Dials Playhouse until November 16th

For tickets and information visit https://www.sevendialsplayhouse.co.uk/shows/daddys-first-gay-date

Photos by Jason Locke