Vivian Chong in “Blind Dates”, Photo by Jae Yang
I first encountered Vivian Chong during the 2022 Next Stage Festival where she performed The Sunglasses Monologue. It was an awkward year of streamed entries as in-person theatre hadn’t become a regular thing again. Her vivacious personality transcended the flatness of the format. In that piece, Chong walked us through the highlights of her adjustment to blindness—in life and art. None of that trauma or the resulting resiliency is rehashed her; no, Blind Dates, presented by Theatre Passe Muraille in their intimate Backspace, is a romantic comedy about dating!
Episodic in form, she opens with her first stay at a summer camp for the blind. Always open to new people and the experiences they can offer, she becomes something of a matchmaker as she introduces a young couple to her favourite secret spot, only to have it suddenly become their favourite secret spot.
From there, there are a number of dates with various people, each one humorous in their own way. There are miscommunications and subverted expectations and throughout it all, Chong is very funny, offering up witty comments.
While this is essentially a feel good show, there is one anxiety-inducing episode that takes place during a romantic tropical getaway. In a brief yet terrifying scenario, she has a vulnerable moment in the water with her date. It’s obvious she didn’t drown, but the sense of violation is palpably unnerving and Chong conveys it well.
There are a few musical interludes, written by Chong, that are whimsical, featuring piano and ukulele. Echo Zhou’s highly tactile set includes a bench decorated in foliage, wooden boards and coloured poles. An illuminated white cloud looms overhead, onto which April Leung projects captioning of the dialogue. This glowing feature of the set is especially striking.
Majorie Chan’s direction and dramaturgy does bolster the narrative momentum, but it still feels a little too loose and rambling. It doesn’t quite have the persuasive grip or emotional impact of The Sunglasses Monologue, though Chong does create some vivid, amusing scenes and she herself is such an endearing presence.
Blind Dates
running February 13 to March 9, 2025
Theatre Passe Muraille, Backspace (16 Ryerson Ave.)
running time: 65 minutes (no intermission)
Vivian Chong in “Blind Dates”, Photo by Jae Yang