“Internet Dating: The Musical”
Runs April 28th through June 17th, 2006

Sometimes, you can tell right away. Take, for instance, "Internet Dating: The Musical." From the title alone, you figure it's ready to have a good time, and just moments into the first song, your expectations are confirmed in such eye-rollingly silly lyrics as: "Some people say that it's only for losers. But Internet dating lets the beggars be choosers, from their computers."

Cleverly conceived and appealingly performed, the show is putting a :-) face on audiences at the art/works theater in Hollywood as it ponders photos that overstate reality, profiles that try too hard and the myriad complications of trying to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The character we follow into this world is the sort we all know: that smart, funny, attractive person everybody wants to hang out with yet inexplicably remains uncoupled. In this case, her name is Jenny. She's 31, and she's starting to get worried. As portrayed by Ali Spuck, she's bright-eyed, plucky and forever pulling playfully goofy faces. We root for her from the moment we meet her.

Urged on by her gal pals (effervescently portrayed by Ali Pomerantz and Sandy Shimoda), Jenny signs on, signs up and takes the plunge. Through what follows, we are reminded that no matter how high-tech the world gets, the old-fashioned things still apply. "I believe every soul has one true love," Jenny sings, and our hearts thump in agreement.

The songs are inflected with '50s doo-wop, Latin rhythms, vintage Burt Bacharach and the pop sounds of new Broadway. The best of them are given to Suzan Solomon, portraying Jenny's mom: the skeptical, mock-sultry "Google You" and the touching memory song "Never Loved Somebody (That Much)."

Ron Weiner, responsible for the book, music and lyrics, has written for such television shows as "Arrested Development" and "Futurama." In director Annie Oelschlager he has someone who knows just how to balance the heartfelt against the tongue-in-cheek.

Mia Torres' set, decorated with "Dating Game"-like bright colors and graphic flourishes, is dominated by an oversize computer screen, out of which Jenny's prospective dates emerge (cads, also-rans and possible Mr. Rights played by David Eldon, Trip Hope, Jeffrey Landman and Kyle Nudo). The plot keeps us guessing, and Weiner's wry sense of humor keeps us smiling.

By Daryl H. Miller, Times Staff Writer

INTERNET DATING is an amusing look at dating in the millennium. It explores the process and the pitfalls of dating by computer via the story of Jenny, a cute 31 year old single office girl(Ali Pomerantz), who, coaxed by her co-workers, embarks on finding Mr. Right via Match.com. After a couple of false starts with Mr. Flexible (Jeffrey Landman) and a guy from the North Pole nicknamed Birdbrain (Trip Hope), she settles on a guy named Eduardo (David Eldon) whose internet profile is a total lie. Act One is full of fun with sixteen musical numbers over nine scenes in which we meet Jenny’s prospects, her co-workers and some other great characters like Jennifer Norkin as a sexy computer bug and the singing and dancing e-mail ensemble.

In Act Two, Jenny finds that Eduardo leads a double life as a bicoastal bisexual. He throws a hissy fit and splits. Jenny then goes into an internet dating frenzy. Will she ever get over the on-line obsession that has struck her? Will she find Mr. Right? Act Two has twelve great musical numbers over eight scenes that are guaranteed to please even the staunchest dating traditionalist. Highlights are “Check My In Box”, “Dating Frenzy”, “Internet Dating is the Worst Thing Ever”, and the finale “Beck and Call”.

INTERNET DATING THE MUSICAL is sure to put a smile on your face. The company of actors is to be commended for taking on a multiple of roles that are sure to entertain.

THREE AXELS. Go see it. Get there early so you can partake of the theatre’s free parking.

--Robert Axelrod

HOLLYWOOD – Art/Works Theater presents the world premiere of “Internet Dating: The Musical.” The musical has a showy display of actors in multiple roles, accompanied by keyboard, guitar and drums, terrific choreography by Brian Paul Mendoza and sparkles under the direction of Annie Oelschlager.

Book, music and lyrics are by Ron Weiner, the book being most effective, creating scenes of recognition and insight.

Jenny (a natural, classic looking Ali Spuck) and friends Jessica (Ali Pomerantz) and Andrea (Sandy Shimoda) convince her to go online with photo and profile to see what happens. This leads to an embarrassing first date when Mr. Flexible (Jeffrey Landman) full of himself shows up and says, “You're not my type.” Jenny calls her mom (Suzan Solomon) for advice and in one of the most humorous numbers, Mom and the men perform “Google Me” in chorus line fashion.

Jenny's two serious online matches are handsome, deceitful Eduardo (David Eldon) and sweet Birdbrain (Trip Hope), wrapped in a parka, his pair of animated penguin puppets stuck in a large slab of papier-mâché representing Antarctica. However, Jenny really likes her boss Steve (Kyle Nudo) if it were not for his online honey (Jennifer Norkin) who also doubles as an adorable dancing computer bug.

Danielle Morrow deserves credit for outfitting Jenny in flattering dresses and sexy attire, as does Brian Murphy in his music direction of the ensemble in two choral numbers, notably “Love Is Waiting At Your Own Beck and Call.”

-- By Beth Temkin

Ali Spuck stars as Jenny. She's a thirtysomething woman who lives in L.A., has a humble job in some office somewhere, and is single. All of her friends are either married or in a deep relationship. Even a co-worker who she tried to flirt with has a sweetie of his own! Jenny's 'girlfriends' talk her into finding somebody on-line. So Jenny tries and discovers that internet dating is wild, wacky, and even has its moments!

Weiner, who composes all of the tunes as well as the story, creates a musical that is witty, lively, and is all too real! That's what makes this musical what it is! Just about every cliche that comes to dating via the 'net is represented here, from reading profiles with spelling errors, to finding people who lie about age, weight, and use outdated pictures, to all of the hopes and mishaps in awaiting e-mail messages from prospective people that may or may not ever arrive! This is a subject matter that was asking to be made into a musical, and Weiner, thanks to his own personal experience in finding somebody on-line, dose such with mirth and merriment!

A great ensemble cast makes up this show, including, Ali Pomerantz, Sandy Shimoda, Suzan Solomon, Jennifer Norkin, Kyle Nudo, David Eldon, Trip Hope, Jeffrey Landman, Reggie De Leon, Anthony Mannix, and Diana Wyenn.

With musical direction by Brian Murphy, choreography by Brian Paul "BP" Mendoza, and stage direction by Anne Oelschlager, INTERNET DATING: THE MUSICAL has it all! It works hard and plays hard. It's just as comfortable to wear a cocktail dress as well as a pair of blue jeans. It loves to laugh, enjoys moonlight walks on the beach, likes all kinds of music, and enjoys a quiet time at home cuddling in front of the TV set watching a rented movie. In other words, it's like a profile ad on-line, but funnier! If you're single, use this musical as a wake-up call! If you are married or have a soul mate), then enjoy the ride! This goes to show one that one can get anything via the 'net--even love! (Sort of!)

By Lori Peters

Can you catch love on the net?  Do bugs destroy match.com e-mails on the web?  That’s what “Internet Dating: the Musical” in all its hilarity helps us find out.  Did you really meet your bride at your nephew’s bar mitzvah or was it Jdate?   Author Ron Weiner started trying to figure out if people really looked like their photos and lie in their profiles back in the mid 90’s, which led to his writing the book, music and lyrics for “Internet Dating: The Musical.”  On Theatre Row, Friday, April 28th, this wacky lovelorn production opened to a packed house at the art/works Theatre.  Says Director Annie Oelschlager:   “Internet Dating” is the best thing ever”.  Producer, Don Cesario (Managing Director of the Elephant Theatre Company) brought this romping quest for love with cyber age technology to its dancing feet. 

I don’t know if I’ve ever caught myself singing “you’re cute, but you don’t know how to spell”, when looking over a potential internet match, but I certainly thought it and I found myself immediately caught up in this song belted out by Oliver, a pudgy, nerdy office worker played with great comedic timing by Reggie Ed Leon.  Is his perfect partner only capable of spelling love with a u?  If Oliver can find love, why can’t Jenny, the pretty, charming, lonely lady of 31 who spends more time eating leftover birthday cake and avoiding work than having a social life.  The actress/singing star of this musical internet love fest is played by Ali Spuck.  Ali never takes a breath during her performance as she’s whisked into one song after another with all the fervor of a humming bird.  Her performance as the unmarried eligible everygirl was solid and delightful.

Jenny’s co-workers, Jessica and Andrea played artfully by Ali Pomerantz and Sandy Shimoda are two Jewish mothers who convince their friend that her clock is ticking.  What is she waiting for go ask Steve about his shiny new snow globe and then invite him on a date.  Jenny chickens out and soon catches Steve smooching in his office with his new internet babe on his lap.

Jenny  thinks internet dating is as romantic as “filling out a rental application.”  Yet, Jenny is helped to write her profile by her two Love Junkies, Jessica and Andrea and over the mouse and through the keyboard to match.com we go. 

At 45 an old maid who’s had life pass her by is played by a stellar performer, Suzan Solomon.  Many actors play multiple parts in this small production and Suzan is no exception.  She blows the audience away to the tune of “I’m gonna google you all night long like you’ve never been googled before.”  She may not be the youngest kid on the stage, but Suzan is sizzling hot and sings and shimmies like a sexy siren.

Internet Dating: the Musical works best with jazz hands and spoofing the trials and tribulations of shopping for love on-line with lines like “if I get older does the computer know and you are not my fix up”, send in the picture girl.”  The show was stolen by two dancing penguin puppets who sympathized with Bird Brain the Penguin researcher in Frozen Antarctica, who was perfectly played by Trip Hope.  The audience is falling off their chairs when he’s singing tag another penguin, check my inbox.  Who knew you could get upstaged by penguin hand puppets?  Yet, Jenny’s stuffed penguin was just another prop.

The set was as jiggly as jello constantly being moved by actors and others throughout the show.  One excellent piece was a somewhat oversized cut out TV type screen where actors spoofed the songs being sung.  Act two had Eduardo the lying bicoastal bisexual dancing about behind the screen.  Eduardo was efficiently played by David Eldon.  He shared silly computer nuptials with Jenny in act one by hitting return and taking both their profiles off the web.

If you think it’s worth $30 a month for Dr. Phil’s advice on match.com then this ticket is worth more than the $22.50 cost of admission.  Who knows you might even run into someone whose profile you checked out on the net and find out if he really looks like his picture.

- Lori Peters

The talented team behind this cutting-edge production is no stranger to humor, or to L.A.’s theatre community. Penned by Writer’s Guild-nominee Ron Weiner (Arrested Development; Futurama) and brought to the stage by producer Don Cesario (Managing Artistic Director of Elephant Theatre Company, producer of Los Muertos and the Los Angeles Premiere of Jesus’ Kid Brother), the musical is a hilarious look at dating in the millennium.

They Know Whereof They Speak

The writer and director both have an intimate relationship with the topic.
 
Says Director Annie Oelschlager: “Internet dating is the best thing ever. … Actually, it was Ron who finally convinced me to sign up for Internet dating. Every time we got together we’d wind up spending hours discussing the wacky minutia of dating in Los Angeles, dating in general, and especially how surprisingly difficult finding ‘The One’ had turned out to be.”

Ron Weiner echoes a similar sentiment: “I wrote Internet Dating: The Musical because I started Internet dating, and I found it so weird and interesting that I would talk about it and think about it a lot, and consequently I started writing songs about it (which is something I do anyway).

You’re Cute, But You Don’t Know How to Spell

“‘You’re Cute, But You Don’t Know How to Spell’ was the first song ever written for this show, long before there was a show. It was just a phrase I said aloud to myself as I read yet another profile that had started out well, with attractive pictures of some gal, but had gone downhill as spelling mistakes in the profile accrued and the woman’s intelligence began to come into question.“

New Twist on Comic Classic

Internet Dating: The Musical explores the hilarious twists that accompany a process that’s always been rich in comic potential.

Says Ron: “I experienced some of the pitfalls: people not looking like their picture (which is a song in the show), people misrepresenting their age, etc. I also experienced the addictive nature of Internet dating – always wanting to hit one more screen to see if your future mate was waiting there.”

Why a Musical?

“I think the timing of this musical is right. Internet dating is a phenomenon that many people are familiar with and is an established part of modern dating culture, but it hasn’t really been dealt with in a satisfying way in any one particular movie, TV show or play.

“Movies and TV have a very hard time with stories that take place largely on computer screens, because it’s very undramatic to watch someone sit at a computer.

“A musical allows you to have people singing what’s on-screen, making it come alive.”
 
Internet Dating: The Musical opens April 28 and runs through June 4, 2006. Performances are at art/works Theatre at 6569 Santa Monica Blvd. on Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 7 PM. Tickets are $22.50. Running time is 120 minutes with intermission, wheelchair access.

For reservations call (323) 960-4418
or reserve online: www.plays411.com/internetdating