The original musical features music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner and a book by Austin Winsberg. The Broadway company was headed by Krysta Rodriguez and Zachary Levi.

First Date, according to press notes, follows "blind date newbie Aaron as he is set up with serial-dater Casey. A casual drink turns into a hilarious high stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. In a delightful and unexpected twist, Casey and Aaron’s inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines."

First Date was developed in Seattle by the 5th Avenue Theatre and A Contemporary Theater, and ran at ACT in early 2012 before arriving at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre in August 2013. The Broadway cast recording is available from Yellow Sound Label, and sheet music will be published shortly by Imagem Music.

R&H President Ted Chapin said in a statement, “I remember reading a quote from New York Times theatre critic Brooks Atkinson on the album of Bye Bye Birdie: ‘the audience was beside itself with pleasure.’ That is exactly the feeling I got the night I saw First Date at the Longacre – all around me people were simply delirious. I felt then and there that this was a show we should add to our catalogue. I am thrilled that we were able to make an arrangement for R&H Theatricals to represent this funny, hip, and very smart show.”

In a joint statement the authors said, “We are so honored for First Date to be joining the illustrious Rodgers & Hammerstein/Imagem catalog of musicals. It is an absolute thrill to have all of our awkward and embarrassing dating experiences made available for performances around the world. We hope that our contemporary musical exploration of the trials of dating and finding ‘the one’ will provide laughter and comfort for anyone who has ever been on a first date.” First Date is available for Professional Theatrical licensing, with performances beginning Sept. 1. For more information visit www.rnh.com or contact the professional licensing division at (212) 699-6523 or [email protected]. For the United Kingdom and select European territories, contact R&H Theatricals Europe at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7054 7200.