As far as bad dates go, the ones that Derek Murphy is busy matchmaking lately have been going resoundingly well. Maybe not in the way that you’d think. Well, that is, for his latest stage success, and for the characters in his play, “The Bad Daters,” who are set up to appear in their New York premiere at Paradise Factory, directed by Colm Summers, starting April 23 through May 17.
With spring rising on the wing, and birds and bees in the trees, the Ballyfermot, Dublin-raised playwright is giving his “Bad Daters” duo Liam and Wendy, played by Shane McNaughton and Kate Arrington, a fresh chance at finding love, or perhaps companionship—or a great deal of antibacterial resistance. At the very least, a lot of that.
The premise of the play first began as characters in Murphy’s “The Love Parts,” in which early versions of Wendy and Liam emerged. After a favorable reception of those particularly lovely parts, Murphy decided to further develop those two characters, and the story of their fraught and fledgling relationship, into a play of their own. Having first premiered in 2023 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (covered by the Irish Echo at the time), and at the Viking Theatre in Dublin the following year—performed then by Sarah Maria Lafferty and Brian Gallagher — the upcoming production of “The Bad Daters” will delve closer into the contentions that entangle this oddest of ill-fitted couples, in a 70-minute one-act that examines what keeps people trying, and keep each other guessing. I guess third time’s the charm.
Continuing through the successful shows in Edinburgh and Dublin, and finding an opportunity for “more time and more curiosity” in play development, with the U.S. premiere at Paradise Factory, Murphy hopes for the chance at going deeper into “The Bad Daters” story; of what drives the characters to make their concerted efforts, or in some cases, their utterly abandoned lack thereof. Citing prior restrictions and time limitations in past productions and staged readings, Murphy says the current production of “The Bad Daters” will bring a considerable focus toward a side of Liam’s complexity we haven’t yet seen, and what keeps them returning to the most futile of dates.
“[Liam] wasn’t really consequential enough, wasn’t really carrying that weight, the way he should have been…and what made Wendy the way she was is never really explained in the earlier drafts,” Murphy remarked. “She is kind of a little crazy…in this new draft, we explain why she is that way, what happened to her. So I think we have more sympathy for her…They’ve matured. They’re whole people with a lot of baggage. I think they’re deserving of the ending they have now.”
While Murphy assures us that about “60%” of the original plot and personalities will remain intact, which fans of the first two productions will recognize, he is pleased to offer audiences more to the story, the one he has been meaning to tell, revealing he is willing to exchange a few laughs for the balance of a funnily thoughtful story. “You’re going for what’s organic, what’s meaningful to the characters. Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s not so funny. You might lose a laugh, but you get truth, you get reality, and you get to care for these characters,” said Murphy.
Though the dates in question are still as bad as imaginable, this newfound fling in New York is bound to incite a bit of non-existent expectations, deflated self-esteem, cautious compassion and ever-striving sincerity. It may even stoke some romance. That might depend on your definition of “romance.”
Murphy offered up one: “You stumble along, long enough and far enough, you’re going to meet that someone that you can connect with in that way.” For every “bad dater” hopeful out there, keep stumbling.
And yes, Murphy plans for the Wendy and Liam relationship to go even further. Despite having an hour’s worth of their story still to be potentially told, Murphy is happy with where the current production is. When asked what the next act of “The Bad Daters” might look like, Murphy was quick with a line: “The Bad Daters the Musical! No, kidding…Kind of kidding. Who knows?”
I had forgotten to ask Murphy whether he enjoys taking long walks on the beach, and binge-watching “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” but I believe it would be obvious to assume that like everybody else, he does.
In the meantime, Murphy, who divvies his time between solitary reclusion in Staten Island and the cosmopolitan enclave of Astoria with his wife Martha, still wakes at six o’clock in the morning, to frequently write and rewrite his lovers’ lives.
“The Bad Daters,” starring Kate Arrington and Shane McNaughton, opens at Paradise Factory on April 23. For tickets, visit here.https://www.paradisefactory.org/
