A curious shift in singles’ dating behavior will be embraced at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre Saturday night, as the desire for in-person communication is transformed into a unique comedic experience.
Starting at 8pm, host Allison Goldberg brings her show Love Isn’t Blind to the theater, combining comedy and dating opportunities for the singles in attendance, along with one potentially lucky bachelorette. During the show, a chosen bachelorette and a friend will judge four different male suitors in a number of scenarios, with the catch being that the men cannot speak for most of the proceedings.
A noted theater kid growing up, Goldberg made the cross-country move from New York City to Los Angeles with experimentation in mind, creating shows like "How to Break Up by Text," where the comedian breaks down a breakup scenario over the phone. The show was recently picked up by Audible, and Love Isn’t Blind is her latest endeavor to merge mingling with humor.
"I feel like post-pandemic, people want excuses to meet each other in real life, and then I think that coupled with [dating] app fatigue, [the show] creates an environment where people are really excited to go to something like this," Goldberg said. "I really just wanted to create something rowdy and interactive."
Audience members receive color-coded wristbands upon entry based on relationship status or sexual orientation, with those in relationships tasked with being a "wingperson" for the single attendees. The evening encourages interactions between singles, both during the show and during after-parties, with Saturday’s after-party location to be determined.
When the show begins, the bachelorette and her friend are introduced to the silent suitors via a "yes or no" question round where the men are blindfolded and can only use a thumbs up or thumbs down to communicate. After one of the four is eliminated, the next round becomes more off-the-wall via a "crafty" component (such as the men writing haikus about a potential date), Goldberg calling the contestants’ mothers live, and the host searching through various facets of the mens’ phones. The host noted that she is respecting any boundaries the contestants bring to her beforehand about their phones, and that the show isn’t intended as a "roast" session, as she is complementary of those brave enough to interact.
During the final round, the last two men have two minutes to finally speak, with the winner and the bachelorette set off on an "immediate date" during after-party proceedings. Goldberg has facilitated many dates, including two singles who met at "Love Isn’t Blind" and eventually became engaged.
Forcing herself to "get back out there" after the COVID-19 pandemic, Goldberg has opened herself up to a whole new community via the show, and dispensed advice for comedians carving their own path like she did.
"There’s a million standup shows, and they could be amazing, but there’s so many of them," Goldberg said, "So I just think people [want] something different … I almost encourage working backwards and thinking of, could you sell this? What is the format that you could sell? Because if you really want to have a sustainable career … think about how you’re different."
To purchase tickets to the Morgan-Wixson show, visit loveisntblind.co
