Right, Wrong, or Bomb! A Dating Musical

Right, Wrong, or Bomb! A Dating Musical has a mouthful of a title and a charming backstory, which you can read more about here. Written and self-produced by three young women, it's a testament to their commitment and perseverance. It is exciting to see a female creative team producing new theatrical work.

We meet Jill (Colleen Somerville Leeman) on a rough morning after a New Year's Eve wedding at which she was a bridesmaid, judging by the hideous dress she is wearing. She's single, but decides to try online dating to break her relationship slump. She is encouraged by her friends Maya (Stephanie Bertumen), a new-agey lesbian in a long-term relationship and Hayley (Katharine Strom), who seems to be expert in one-night-stands. Soon Jill's mother (Debbie Swanson), an extremely busy online dater, is also urging her to take the plunge.

Colleen Somerville Leeman and C. Ryan Shipley performing
at Musical Mondays at Hell's Kitchen.

Jill has a hopeless crush on her not-single coworker Rob (C. Ryan Shipley), but views a lot of profiles and goes on dates with a bunch of guys, played with a variety of hats and demeanors by David Beukema. Watching Beukema's quick changes from one bad match to another is fun, and he does a good job of making each one funny in a different way.

Will Jill meet her match? Well, it's a musical, so...

Shannon McDonald and Brittany Shrimpton have written a script full of the foibles of modern dating, and Rosie Sauvageau's music and lyrics cleverly expand on the script's ideas. The show is fun, if a bit on the light side, and it will be interesting to see what this team takes on next.