Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Awkwardly navigating through budding romances: Checking out Off-Broadway’s WHAT HAPPENED WAS… and THE BAD DATERS

• By drediman
• May 15, 2026
• No Comments

In my week of theatergoing, I came across a pair of single act two-handers Off-Broadway that portrayed newly paired couples awkwardly navigating through budding romances. Here are my thoughts.

WHAT HAPPENED WAS…
Audible Theater at the Minetta Lane Theatre
In repertory through June 14

First up at Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theatre is the Audible Theater revival of Tom Noonan’s 1992 romantic comedy What Happened Was… (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), headlined by the terrific pairing of Corey Stoll and Cecily Strong (note that the production plays in repertory with New Born, which stars Hugh Jackman). Unfolding in real time in a Manhattan studio, the play depicts the unlikeliest of first dates between work colleagues at a law firm, Jackie and Michael — she’s an executive assistant, he’s a paralegal. Although both seem to be initially well-adjusted, we eventually come to learn that these are two hugely insecure individuals with crippling mental blocks with regard to living in contemporary society. Witnessing the two characters slowly open up to each other and realizing their desperate need for connection as they stumble towards each other — complete with clumsy starts-and-stops — is recipe for one of the more affecting budding romances dramas I’ve seen in a good long while, favorably comparing to some of 20th century drama’s most iconic awkward romances (e.g., Terrence McNally‘s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Lanford Wilson’s Talley’s Folly). In one of the most disarming and unexpected sequences of the play, Jackie opens up about her writing and reads the first chapter of a so-called children’s book to Michael. In this story within a story, Jackie’s troubled past comes to painful life via grotesque allegory; it’s at once heartrending and bizarre. In terms of the performances, Strong and Stoll have crafted carefully drawn characterizations of sensitive souls. As Jackie, Strong is a coil of vulnerability and fluttering defensiveness. And as Michael, Stoll is subtly self-aggrandizing and exhibits the occasional slip of male chauvinism. Directed with clarity by Ian Rickson (who also helms New Born), What Happened Was… is one romance you didn’t know you needed.

THE BAD DATERS
Paradise Factory
Through May 17

Last night, I attended another awkward but romantic two-hander, this time in the form of Derek Murphy‘s The Bad Daters (RECOMMENDED), which is enjoying its American premiere at the Paradise Factory in the East Village. Set in Dublin, the compact play essentially depicts a series of dates between Wendy and Lam, starting with their nearly disastrous first meeting on a blind date and proceeding on with the couple’s tentative courtship over the course of the following weeks. For the most part, it all amounts to an amusing dance that plays Wendy (excessively uncooperative and antagonistic) squarely against Liam (over-eager and as optimistic as a Labrador). Ultimately, however, they largely make for an unconvincing and improbable pairing, given the opposing extremities of their personalities and temperaments, especially her relentlessly unpleasant demeanor — indeed, who would, in actuality, put up with such aggressive verbal battery? That being said, individually, Wendy and Liam make for compelling character studies, particularly with respect to their troubled pasts and the way they’ve had to deal with grief and the burden of continuing on with life on a day-to-day basis. The Bad Daters stars the wonderful Kate Arrington (a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s storied Ensemble, whose stage career I’ve been following for decades now) and the easily charismatic Shane McNaughton, both grounded actors that allow the two characters to breathe. Arrington, in particular, gives a performance that extends beyond Wendy’s acerbic dialogue. Despite the bile the character can’t help spewing, you can see the struggle in Arrington’s eyes as she tries to make sense of Liam’s undaunted efforts — a subtle nuance that makes all the difference in the world. The production has been simply yet elegantly staged by Colm Summers on a narrow platform that has the two actors sometimes merely inches from the audience, making for an intimate and immersive experience.