Olney Theatre Center - Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab (Olney, MD)
Walk a mile in Haley Walker's shoes -- all 600 pairs! This divorced single mom moves from Texas to New York and reenters a dating scene more daunting than breaking-in a new pair of stilettos. A string of rotten romances, Tibetan Buddhists and even the Romanian Mafia all get in the way of finding Mr. Right. Is Jimmy Choo the only man fit for Haley?
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last event was Sunday April 20, 2008 / 7:45pm. (view all dates)
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It would have been better if it lost about 15 minutes.
Started 15 minutes late for no apparent reason. Impressive acting performance, not as funny as hoped for.
Melissa Flaim was terrific. A little too long. Great set with all the shoes and clothes.
Although the actress was good and performed well, the show would have been better if it had included more actors and action instead of just a monologue. The audience has to pay very close attention to the dialogue in order to get a sense of the story.
great one woman show!
This is a solo performance. One actor only. Monologues have to be really stimulating with scenery changes to hold my attention and I must admit I zoned out a couple of times.
The performance was excellent, but the play was lacking
It does show the psychological progression of hopeful to desperate in a woman who dates indiscriminately and gets inappropriate men who
cause her pain. Watching her repeat her mistakes is like listening to a girlfriend who just doesn't learn....
The ending is a non-sequitar, and a disappointment.
Great intimate theater. Wonderful performance, play could be somewhat funnier, script needs tweaking.
It was only an OK production - not the best writing or acting....
The show was very entertaining. It started out strong, and I thought it needed a little more humor added. Great seats. worth the money thru Goldstar.
Get ready to laugh out loud all evening long as single mom Haley Walker reflects on her trails and tribulations of reentering the dating scene. “It is flat out funny,” said Director Lee Mikeska Gardner. “But it is also thoroughly entertaining.”
Written by award-winning playwright Teresa Rebeck, Bad Dates follows Haley Walker, a divorced single mom with a love of shoes, who moves from Texas to New York City and reenters the dating scene. Haley confides in her 600 pairs of shoes as a string of rotten romances, Tibetan Buddhists, and even the Romanian Mafia all get in the way of finding Mr. Right. Could it be the only man fit for Haley is Jimmy Choo?
In addition to being a comedy, Bad Dates is also a compelling and universal story for, by, and about women. “Every woman has gone through what Haley Walker has: fear, disappointment, and uncertainty; but also success, growth, and love. It is very life affirming,” Gardner said.
Even though Bad Dates is an intimate one woman play, it is still has a lot going on. “The world in Bad Dates is populated by lots of off-stage characters. There are shoes all everywhere and the set is bright and full of color,” Gardner said. “It is very energetic.”
The energetic Haley Walker will be performed by Melissa Flaim. Flaim is a local actress, educator, vocal coach, and has known and worked with Gardner for the past 15 years. She received her MFA in Acting and Directing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her BA in Theatre and French from the Pennsylvania State University. Melissa teaches Voice/Shakespeare Text at The Catholic University of America. Her acting credits include Learning Curves (dir.Lee Mikeska Gardner) and Triumph of Love for Washington Shakespeare Company; As You Like It and Twelfth Night at The Shakespeare Project; and Angels in America Parts One and Two at Signature Theatre (also with Ms. Gardner) Melissa is a founding member of the Educational Theatre Company.
Making her Olney directing debut, is Lee Mikeska Gardner. She is no stranger to the campus however, as she spent last summer playing Nina in Brooklyn Boy. Other acting credits include Grete in Sign Unseen and half a dozen productions with Potomac Theatre Project, including playing Patricia Preece in Stanley (Helen Hayes nomination). Lee’s varied and eclectic directing career includes Fat Men In Skirts, Life During Wartime (Helen Hayes nomination), The Gene Pool, Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (Helen Hayes nomination), Watbanaland, Stop Kiss, The Chinese Art of Placement, Fuddy Meers, and After Ashley (Helen Hayes nomination), all for Woolly Mammoth, where she served as an Artistic Associate for a decade. Lee has earned three additional Helen Hayes nominations for acting and has won for her portrayal of Mary in Charter Theatre’s A House in the Country.
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