Yes, we’ve all been there – once, twice or even more. I’m talking about infatuation, falling head over heels, deception, jealousy and heartbreak. Regardless of whom, where and when, love always leaves that tiny bruise on your heart that may get smaller over time but never completely disappears. Yes, we are all victims and patients. Luckily, “Play Dates” is here to offer all of us a little therapy session.

Written by Sam Wolfson (“Jewtopia”) and directed by Jennifer Chambers, “Play Dates” is a show that will make you laugh and tear up at the same time. It chronicles the lifelong journey of a man and a woman searching for love in a truly comical way, starting from kindergarten all the way up to marriage. Every single ingredient of a relationship is presented on the stage with abundant sprinkles of humor. In between laughing every now and then, your heart will gently vibrate when the actors strike the same emotional chords as your own.

Stacey (Elizabeth Bond) and Sam (Rob Nagle) meet as 4-year-old kindergarten sweethearts and grow up only to learn about the pain love brings. Bond is perfectly cast as Stacey, the bubbly and often hyperactive redhead, and Nagle as slightly balding, somewhat awkward Sam is her ideal counterpart. Together, they portray a stereotypical couple with their own ups and downs, good days and bad days.

Katie (Krystal Marshall) and Mike (Brian Monahan) as a second couple expose another aspect of a relationship: trying to revive the sparks in a marriage. Suddenly freaked out by their everyday routine as a so-called “old, boring couple,” Katie and Mike attempt to relive the precious moments of their honeymoon period. The actors’ brilliant performances in the bathroom scene where they clip each other’s toenails and squeeze each other’s pimples is seriously funny and realistic at the same time.

Whether you are in for the laughs or for some advice on love, “Play Dates” will surely mend that invisible scar on your heart by the time you walk out. There will be champagne, roses and other special surprises on Valentine’s Day, so if you have not made any plans yet, this is your chance – even a couple in a serious fight will come out warm and lighthearted.



Theatre Asylum is located at 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. For more information, visit playdatestheshow.com.