Musical comedy "First Date" opens July 19 in Racine

RACINE — Parker Muñoz and Bryanna VanCaster are going on a series of first dates ...

with an audience. It’s the plot of the musical comedy “First Date,” opening Friday night at the Racine Theatre Guild. They play Aaron and Casey, two New Yorkers meeting at a restaurant for that all-important first date.

In this scene from the musical comedy "First Date," Aaron (Parker Muñoz, left) and Casey (Bryanna VanCaster) are not quite sure how to begin their first date. The show, written by Austin Winsberg, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, debuted in Seattle in 2012 before moving to Broadway. Aaron and Casey share the stage with a chorus of inner critics played by an ensemble made up of Brian Dean, Stephen Fletcher, Kyle Simonsen, Kira Walter and Samantha Pinchard.

While on their first date, Aaron (Parker Muñoz) and Casey (Bryanna VanCaster) are surrounded by a chorus of inner critics played by, from left, Brian Dean, Samantha Pinchard, Stephen Fletcher, Kira Walters and Kyle Simonsen, seated in front. When it comes to real-life romance, Muñoz has “never been on a truly ‘blind’ date,” he said. “I have always had a basic idea of who I was going out with on a first date.

” His character “has had some unfortunate luck in the past with dating, and I think everyone can relate to a moment in their dating history that really felt like they had hit a rut,” Muñoz said. “But what a great place to be for the beginning of something wonderf.