Bad Dates replaces the previously announced U.S. debut of Fiona Evans' controversial work Scarborough. The topical drama, in which a 29 year-old teacher spends an illicit weekend away with her 15 year-old student, is reversed for the second act, in which a male teacher is revealed having an affair with a young female student.

The acclaimed work, which explores issues of gender politics, earned a 2007 Fringe First Award for its Edinburgh debut, and was a hit at Londond's Royal Court Theatre.

The light comedy Bad Dates will now fill the Feb. 18-March 22, 2009, slot on Long Wharf's Stage II. Eric Ting directs the production.

"I am thrilled to be adding Bad Dates to the coming season. This is a much beloved, warm hearted and comic look at middle-aged romance and the perils of dating. Scarborough is a wonderful play, but at this moment for a number of reasons Bad Dates makes more sense for us," said artistic director Gordon Edelstein in a statement.

Press notes for Bad Dates state, "Haley Walker is a Texan in New York City with a top-tier restaurant to run, a teenage daughter to raise, and a dating scene to navigate. From the privacy of her bedroom, she dishes about her hilarious dating adventures. With charm and quirky grace, Haley takes us through a motley array of suitors, looking for the man who will fit her like a great pair of shoes." Casting and creative duties will be announced at a later date.

For more information visit longwharf.org.

The Long Wharf Theatre is located at 222 Sargent Drive in New Haven, CT.