(Photo: Angelo Fabara)
Trust us, Desiree Akhavan’s Appropriate Behavior will bring a slew of hilariously awkward first dates to the screen when it opens later this month. But if that’s not enough second-hand embarrassment for you, head down to Parkside Lounge to watch another actress-on-the-rise, Bojana Novakovic (Rake), execute The Blind Date Project.
The project — from the Serbian-Australian actress’s own company, Ride On Theatre — previously played in LA, where folks like Jason Alexander of Seinfeld and Thomas Middleditch, the lead of Silicon Valley, were in on it. It sounds like a ton of fun: Novakovic improvises a blind date at a karaoke bar, with a new performer acting as her “date” each night. She has no knowledge of that date’s backstory, which is set up by director Scott Rodgers of UCB LA. Lucky for those who don’t like surprises, Coil — PS122’s annual winter performance festival, which is presenting the series from Jan. 7 to Jan. 17 — just released the names of this week’s performers, and among them is Williamsburg’s own Reggie Watts.
Other potential love interests include Jeremy Beiler (best known as liberal pundit Jason Copeland on the Onion News Network), Laverne Cox (best known as Sophia in Orange Is the New Black), Pablo Schreiber (also of OISTNB as well as The Wire), Larisa Oleynik (who — fun fact — played Kat’s younger sister in 10 Things I Hate About You and then, IRL, went on to attended Sarah Lawrence College, the school Kat so desperately wanted to get into), and Fred Weller (a tv actor who has appeared in plays by Neil Labute and James Tobak — so should be familiar with “unpredictable, dark and funny” battle-of-the-sexes thing).
The best part is that, since the blind date takes place at a karaoke bar, you’ll get to hear Reggie Watts et. al. belt out some tunes. Seating at Parkside is limited, so jump on those tickets ($20-$25) fast.
Here’s the lineup:
1/7 – Jeremy Beiler at 7pm
1/8 – Fred Weller at 9pm
1/9 – Laverne Cox at 7pm / Reggie Watts at 10pm
1/10 – Larisa Oleynik at 7pm / Pablo Schreiber at 10pm