Review - #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment

I'm very fortunate that every now and then, free tickets to new shows come my way.  Often, they're for shows I wouldn't have seen otherwise, so I'm especially grateful.  I recently received a pair of tickets for the new Off-Broadway show #Date Me: An OkCupid Experiment.  A show title with a hashtag in it wouldn't normally be on my radar, but I thought, why not?  A beautiful gal pal came with me and a good time was definitely had.

We first met at Adella, a very cute little wine bar on the west side.  I had the flatbread with smoked mozzarella, figs, and proscuitto, along with a limoncello fizz (limoncello and proseco).  It was a very tasty treat before the show, which just happened to be in the theater across the street.  It was great to catch up with my beautiful gal pal and get some laughs in before the show.

The press information for the show states: "48 million Americans have tried online dating. #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment is the outrageous, true story of one. Robyn is unlucky in love but determined to understand it better, so she logs on to the world’s most popular dating site: OkCupid. Creating 38 “undateable” profiles as an interactive scientific investigation into online dating, Robyn unwittingly sets in motion the social experiment of our generation. Part improv and character driven, with a central story centering on Robyn, a shy vulnerable comic too embarrassed to sign on as her real self, so she creates imaginary comic characters and makes one conclusive result: there’s no algorithm for love."

Sorry, backstory: I halfheartedly tried online dating a couple of times when I was younger.  Whenever I signed up on Match, it kept matching me with a guy with whom I'd already had an unsuccessful date.  So that didn't really give me a positive attitude towards the whole thing.  On another dating site, I asked a prospective match one of the pre-supplied questions and he decided he didn't want to get that personal.  Uh, ok.  I decided I would rather get rejected the old-fashioned way (to my face) and never tried online dating again.  Interestingly, a version of my previous statement was at the top of this show (I grant it's not an original thought, but it sill made me chuckle).

When you walk into the theater, there are screens everywhere, urging you to sign up for the show's app and create a profile.  I thought about it, but then I remembered the 'part improv' piece of the marketing blurb and I decided I didn't want to be part of the show.  It was probably a wise choice.  The show is set up sort of like a Ted Talk or seminar or something, with presentational storytelling, much breaking of the fourth wall, and lots of video technology.  There are also a couple of fun dance numbers, montages, and audience interactions followed by cast improv.

#DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment was actually really fun.  I was surprised at how much genuine laughter it gave me.  It's silly and goofy and high-spirited; my beautiful gal pal and I had a terrific time.  The performers were all fantastic and the audience members selected for the improv/audience participation portions of the evening were really good sports and lots of fun. One thing that keeps you laughing is that the cast frequently reminds you that the profiles and interactions are from actual people.  Real people said the crazy things that came out of the actors' mouths, which just made me laugh even harder at the weird foibles of today's dating scene (of which I am admittedly not a part).  If the messages weren't real, I would think that the script was crazily delusional!   

photo credit: Jeremy Daniel

The rest of the audience also seemed to be getting a real kick out of the production, so it was rather a fun fest.  My beautiful gal pal and I were sitting next to one of the audience participants and she was really a hoot.  I will say that my bad date story would've made a much better bad date story than the one they chose, but...it WAS my choice to sit out of the app and the merriment, so oh well.  But since you're already here, let me share that story with you:

During my time away from NY, I went to a 'bachelor auction' that was a fundraiser for a children's hospital.  I went as a favor to a friend.  When I was looking through the program, I noticed one auction lot that looked just up my alley:  a date to go see Mikhail Baryshnikov dance (this was obviously a number of years ago), with a special dinner beforehand.  I thought the cost seemed reasonable, so I put in a bid at the minimum level indicated.  And I won!  The gent seemed nice enough and we exchanged phone numbers at the end of the evening.

I mean, COME ON!

A couple of weeks later, Mr. Auction Date (let's call him AD, I've repressed his actual name) called to tell me that Baryshnikov was injured and was being replaced by some guy named Nureyev.  I'm like, uh, hello, RUDOLF NUREYEV?!  AD said yeah, he's old, I don't have any interest in seeing him.  I said, he's a superstar, I think it will be great.  AD said, nah, I exchanged our tickets for a Dan Fogelberg concert.

Ladies and gentlemen, when I tell you that I found Dan Fogelberg (a pleasant singer, sure) no acceptable substitute for Nureyev, let alone Baryshnikov, believe me.  Unfortunately, I was too non-confrontational to argue and so I paid way too much money to see Dn Fogelberg.  I have also repressed the concert.  Along with the special dinner, which I have a vague memory of being something picnic-y that we took with us, but I could be wrong about that.  The whole evening is a blur, but I do remember that AD was just so yucky.  There was no second date, clearly.  Ugh.  It's no wonder dating is never at the top of my to-do list - they never go well for me!

Anyway, I would've loved to see the terrific cast of #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment do an improvisational rap about THAT bad date, but I guess some things might be too much for the universe.  If you go see the show (and if you can get a good discount, I'd recommend it as a fun and silly summer diversion), you have my permission to use my bad date story to see if it gets you on stage.  You never know!