BY KAREN BOSSICK

It’s a blind date on steroids.

A hip, edgy rocker meets a quirky nerd for that dreaded first date. And it turns into a hilarious dinner with Google checks, emergency bail-out calls and plenty of fodder from bad boy and uptown girl exes.

Chemistry brews, despite the excess baggage both have coming into the blind date. And the two learn what they thought they needed in a relationship isn’t necessarily the case.

The Idaho State University Department of Theatre and Dance will present Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner’s romantic comedy “First Date” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19-20, at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Center in Hailey.

The play is being sponsored by Wood River Valley residents Bill and Linda Potter, who were a part of The Junkyard Dogs team that produced the play for its Broadway debut in 2013.

“Linda and I are delighted to bring ‘First Date’ to the Wood River Valley,” said Bill Potter. “This musical is a perfect vehicle for college productions to showcase Broadway’s richness to local audiences. We were fortunate enough to be at the initial reading of ‘First Date’ and I practically fell off my chair I was laughing so hard.”

“First Date” is a contemporary musical comedy.  It will be Director Joel Shura’s first production at ISU after teaching theatre courses at Mendocino College and the School of Performing Arts and Cultural Education in Northern Calif.

Tickets are $15, available at the door and online at isu.edu/tickets.