Stage Door News
Stage Door News
It was billed as a "social experiment", but for many people it was a lot more than that.
As everyone who has seen Once knows, it is a show about a random meeting between two unlikely people that blossoms into a relationship that only comes along once in a lifetime. That's why we decided to gather 1,200 singles for what we think was the world's biggest blind date.
While there were glitches that were unexpected -- including some people who were matched with a gender they did not ask for (whether this was human error or a computer glitch, it is still unknown), and some no-shows which meant that there were people sitting beside an empty seat where their date should have been -- the evening generated a festive, celebratory atmosphere.
People dressed up, everyone appeared happy and excited to be there.
Once Date Night Video
The cast, who were an integral part of this experiment, commented that the first 20 minutes of the show were rough, as the vibe from the audience was awkward and uncertain. But as the crowd settled in, the energy changed and the performance connected with the audience in new ways. Some funny lines were greeted with bigger laughs than usual, and the moments when the characters philosophize about missed connections and unrequited love were especially poignant.
At the party afterwards, the atmosphere was even more electric. Those people who hadn't paired up at this point created small impromptu groups of 4 to 8 people who began to share stories.
The party raged on way past midnight.
Photo: Ed Mirvish Theatre. ©2015 Jeremie Andrew.
2015-06-05
Toronto: What happened at the world's biggest blind date at "Once"?