Old Mistakes And New Possibilities Surface In Returning Play

Being staged again, a local theatre company’s latest play is adding some romance to the holidays.

Opening at the Shadowbox Theatre (located at 103b – 1501 Howard Avenue) on Friday December 6th, Post Productions is bringing back a crowd favourite by popular demand. Revolving around New Year’s Eve, Jack Neary’s First Night is a romantic comedy that focuses on past love, mistakes and second chances.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the show is the company’s first ever to be staged a second time then.

“We’ve always been pretty adamant that Post Productions would never produce a play more than once,” said producer, director and actor, Michael K. Potter. “I worry it’s difficult to avoid slipping into old grooves without even noticing it, resulting in a production that feels like a stale rehash or worse yet, like you’re performing a cover version of your own song that will just never be as good as the original. When we were contemplating producing First Night again, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the caused behind those effects. Eventually I realized, in conversation with [fellow producer, director and actor] Fay [Lynn,] that it was best to approach this production with a strong intent to dig deeper into the characters, the play’s themes, nuances of our performances and even the set from the last production.”

Taking place in 1995, First Night is a story about former classmates coming back into each other’s lives. As Danny Flemming (Potter) continues his year-and-a-half job as a New England video store worker, he remains directionless but content watching movies from Hollywood’s golden age. Before long however, the film lover is shaken out of complacency by Meredith O’Connor (Lynn) on New Year’s Eve, known as First Night in New England.

Crushing on one another in grade eight, neither thought the respective objects of their affection even noticed them. Unsure of what to do with her feelings, Meredith decided to become a nun instead of following Danny to high school. After not working out as planned, she now questions whether her choice was to run away from something instead of running towards a greater calling.

Never forgetting Danny, it ultimately pushes Meredith to explore whether or not being with him is what she’s always wanted.

Having a love/hate relationship with romantic comedies and holiday movies, the play stood out to Potter and Lynn. Watching at least 40-50 of the latter in November and December every year, the good ones have become treasured amongst those the pair dislike.

It’s a sentiment that extended to this production upon first reading the script as well.

“”First Night was attractive to us because it’s a romantic comedy that’s actually truly funny and truly romantic,” said Potter. “It’s a holiday story that doesn’t come across as cynical or nauseatingly sentimental. It’s an intimate story about two people who’ve made some terrible decisions in their lives without realizing it. They’re at a point where they actually have an opportunity to make choices that will bring them happiness. Still, one of them approaches this possibility with maybe too much determination and confidence while the other one hates himself and instinctively rejects any choice that could risk further unhappiness.”

Mirroring the push and pull of romantic combat found in romcoms from the 40’s and 50’s, Neary used such references for the play’s central relationship. Both characters also have a love for these films, so their rhythms, tropes and structure end up on full display. This even comes through in the snarky back-and-forth banter.

While filming (Up)Staged made for a busy year, knowing they’d be producing First Night 10 months ahead gave Potter and Lynn some breathing room. Not wanting to burn out and being well acquainted with the show, this would allow the pair to take it easy while gradually preparing.

Unfortunately, that’s not entirely what happened.

“The idea was that we’d do a slow roll into rehearsals at the end of September and the beginning of October before increasing the number of rehearsals as we approached opening night,” said Potter. “But God laughs as humans make plans, so they say. We ended up becoming busy with a host of other things in September and October so we didn’t start rehearsing First Night until November. Luckily, this wasn’t a huge issue.”

Lynn agrees.

“[Potter] and I didn’t start rehearsing First Night in earnest until November, but we started with a strong foundation of familiarity with each other and the play,” she said. “So the process has been fairly stress-free when compared to other productions we’ve done.”

It’s a report that helped both play off one another’s strengths instinctively and usually results in agreement about what to do. Although Potter doesn’t really like acting, he enjoys it more with Lynn for this very reason. It also doesn’t hurt that scheduling is much easier as both generally have the same availability.

Playing Danny, Potter looked to make as many connections as possible. Needing to understand every aspect of the character, the actor acknowledges this role puts him into a better place by the end of the play.

Forced by Meredith to take chances for his own happiness, being engaged to Lynn also helped both actors with the material.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, creating something so funny, complicated, raw, charming and magical across from someone you love so deeply,” she said. “Meredith O’Connor and I are very different people who have led completely different lives, but I connect with the way she feels about Danny on a visceral level because Danny is portrayed by the man I love. Using a playwright’s words, filtered through your interpretation of a person who doesn’t really exist except as you embody them, to tell someone you love some real truths about how you feel while they pretend to be someone who also doesn’t really exist… it’s an indescribable feeling. It’s surreal. It’s nice.”

Inhabiting the same roles last year, Potter and Lynn decided to approach First Night a bit differently this time. More emotionally intense and faster paced than in 2023, the deliberate change has allowed pauses and significant romantic moments to stand out. Potter also believes the ending will hit people even harder than before — even though he loved it already.

Another minor change to the script has also had a big impact on the story. Although Danny and Meredith are meant to be 34 to 35-years-old, the producers decided to make them 44-45. While they could’ve simply kept the roles younger, this change brings their ages more in line with how old Potter and Lynn are. It was ultimately done to add another 10 years of weight to both characters, having them go through another decade of regret and longing.

It also creates more stakes for the overall story.

“There’s a slippery slope to avoid when looking for love in your 40s that just isn’t as prevalent in your 30s,” said Lynn. “That’s the slope of desperation. When you’re 35 it’s reasonable to believe you’re still entering the cusp of your best years, barely scratching the surface of the middle of your adulthood. It’s around 45 the mid-life crises kick in if you’re not careful. 50 is just around the corner, and if you don’t have a retirement plan by now, you can forget about spending your golden years in any kind of comfort. Retirement plans aside, how do you even start to look for a partner who will compliment your well-established habits and routines? Of course the truth is people can (and do) find love in their 40s, 50s, even 60s and beyond all the time, but society can sometimes loose sight of that.”

Although she doesn’t see Meredith as desperate, the actor feels there’s a sense of determination and urgency in her. Despite people’s fears and beliefs, Lynn thinks the play reminds audiences it’s never too late to find whatever happiness means to them. Adding another 10 years to each character’s age allows the message to be even more powerful in her view.

Beyond these changes, props and set design have also been revisited by Potter’s son Kieran and Lynn.

“The second change we made from last year is the set,” she said. “The structure is the same, but the colours include more browns and reds. With set design, I try to create environments on stage, rather than ‘settings.’ The environment of First Night this year compared to last is warmer and cozier. I tried to achieve the aesthetic of an old home converted into a small mom-and-pop style video store. An environment like that holds a different history than a commercial location, where I based the environment last year.”

Hearing great things about productions like Windsor Light Music Theatre’s A Christmas Story: The Musical, Michael admits that many holiday plays are geared towards families. While it isn’t something he sees as bad, the co-director thinks it’s still important to provide shows for adults around this time of year. Presenting holiday plays for this group, Post has the ability to address complicated problems or desires that wouldn’t connect with or appeal to kids. It also allows First Night to stick out from the pack even more.

With people having preconceptions of what a romcom can be though, success ultimately comes down to authenticity.

“A good romantic comedy places interesting and engaging characters with real problems, ideas and emotions into an interesting situation,” said Michael. “It lets them make choices, the consequences of which determine the story. This is what Jack Neary has done with First Night …When the audience first meets Danny and Meredith, they’re both likeable and interesting but also both a little odd, which makes you curious about what’s going on in their minds and where the story might lead. As the story moves along and you learn more about them, they seem less odd and more authentically imperfect. The fact that this happens within a structure that uses conventions from classic romantic comedies of Hollywood’s Golden Age makes you anticipate the possible paths the story could follow. I think it makes things even more unique and interesting. We don’t see those kinds of stories anymore. They worked for many years for good reasons.”

Presented in association with Windsor Feminist Theatre, First Night will be performed at the Shadowbox Theatre on December 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th and 2st1. Doors open for all showings at 7:30pm with an 8:00pm start time. Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased online or at the door via cash, debit and credit card if seats remain. Continuing with tradition, $5.00 of each ticket sold will also go to Evoke Respite Services. Copies of the company’s 2023 Christmas album Wassailing in a Windsor Wonderland, will also be sold to raise funds for Evoke once again.

Being Post’s final show of the year, Michael hopes audiences leave feeling the possibilities it represents.

“Our play fills a niche that others don’t because it’s aimed at adults,” he said. “Although it takes place in a video store crammed with Christmas decorations and run by a man who’s obsessed with classic Christmas movies, the story actually happens on New Year’s Eve. It extends the feelings, themes and values of Christmas a week longer than usual so that they’re given a slightly different twist. It’s the end of what was and the beginning of what can be. That’s pretty special.”