Groundhog Dates with Heart: 50 First Dates at The Other Palace

50 First Dates | The Other Palace until 16 November

This bills itself as a heartwarming and romantic story that takes you through all the highs and lows of what happens in life. I went in expecting a love story, not sure what to expect otherwise, other than knowing that many people have a strong connection with the film.

However, I hadn’t seen the film and sometimes I want to go in and experience it fresh without preconceptions, as there will be people who haven’t seen it, so it needs to stand on its own without any residual goodwill.

I was a little unsure of where it was going at first. It starts with Henry, a travel blogger, who meets Lucy on his travels, so all straightforward. It then unveils its central conceit: Lucy has had a serious road accident and has suffered a brain injury, which means that her memory is wiped clean every day.

The story is relocated from Hawaii to Key Largo, Florida. Henry is not a marine veterinarian (so no sea lions) but a travel blogger, which means he is always on the move after a one-night stand, whereas in the film it was the tourists he seduced who moved on. His blog is devoted to creating the “perfect day” in different destinations.

So she starts over each day afresh. Hence the fifty first dates: each date is a first date. I describe this more like Groundhog Dates the musical. Henry has a dream job coming up, but he keeps being drawn back to this girl. It is a romantic comedy, but my caveat is that I was sat there thinking, is this a genuine condition? It’s been used by Christopher Nolan in Memento, but I then found out that it isn’t quite the same.

The film is based on a real incident in which a girl had two serious car accidents and has no short-term memory. But this idea of your memory being wiped at the end of the day and resetting is fictional. So the practical me sat there thinking, how would this work? And then, when there’s a baby at the end, you wonder how this is explained on a day-to-day basis.

However, what has troubled me hasn’t troubled others, obviously, as the film has been very popular. It is what I call the Hollywoodisation of a mental condition, and I think the reality of it would be a lot messier and more complex. To misquote Shakespeare, comparisons are “odorous” (sic), but you only have to look at The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which deals with an entirely fictional complaint and is incredibly moving.

On the positive side, Lucy is charmingly portrayed by Georgina Castle, who sings up a storm, and Josh Saint Clair, as Henry, plays him with an incredible amount of goofy, angular charm. Much of the success of the evening rests on their shoulders. They are surrounded by a host of eccentric characters who clearly love and protect Lucy.

I was generally unmoved except for one moment where it caught me. I won’t say what it is because it is quite beautiful and a surprise. That is me being picky about the whole thing. It is bright and cheerful, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It runs an hour and a half, is well sung, well acted and beautifully staged.

So, if you’re not troubled by the things I was and you enjoyed the film, you will, I’m almost certain, have a lovely time.

Stage adaptation of 50 First Dates keeps the sunshine and song (memory reset, of course, included).

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[Image Credits | Pamela Raith]

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