Daddy’s First Gay Date – Seven Dials Playhouse

The 11th October is designated as National Coming Out Day. The only reason I mention this is because, to my mind, you should come out when you feel the time is right for you and not be pressured by a date in the calendar. Of course, while the day may be good for you, it’s not necessarily good for those around you as the protagonist of Sam Danson’s new play, Daddy’s First Gay Date, soon finds out. I went along to the Seven Dials Playhouse to find out what happened.

Helen (Megan Edmondson) and Ben (Sam Danson) are on a date. They have been together for 15 years, and tonight they are at Helen’s favourite restaurant. Unbeknownst to each other, they both have huge, life-changing news to share with their partner. Observed by their overattentive, wine-swigging waiter, Tim (Dior Clarke), Ben goes first and announces he is bisexual. Helen does not react well and, in the ensuing discussion/row, informs Ben that he is going to be a father. Tim, who is having trouble with his boyfriend Jack, is loving the drama at Ben and Helen’s table. Can the 30-something Ben survive now that he has left the closet behind? How will he have a relationship with Helen and his child when it’s born? And will he get that all-important first gay date?

Daddy’s First Gay Date is a well-written, witty play about the highs and lows of coming out later in life. As someone who did just that, I could identify with Ben in many respects. Of course, it was easy for me as I live in London and could just jump into the scene with both feet – as I did. Ben, though, lives in Chorley. Now it’s a small town and the LGBT+ scene is not so much small as virtually non-existent. Writer and actor Danson has got all the characters spot on. Ben is so sweet, with feelings and desires that are both natural and go against everything he has been taught about being a man growing up. At times like a kid in a sweet shop, at others horribly self-conscious and believing he doesn’t really fit into his new world. Waiter, and love interest Tim, stays just the right side of over-stereotypical gay boy. His gayness can be seen from Mars, and despite all the problems he encounters as an out and proud gay man, he lives life to the full. Yes, I would be so embarrassed to be on a night out with him, but walk down Old Compton Street and you will meet Tim’s by the score. And Helen, poor Helen. Except she’s not. Despite being dumped by her partner, not for another woman but for men and women, there is nothing of the victim about Helen. Pragmatic to the end, I think she quickly realises that she and her baby need a father who is a friend and not someone with whom she is constantly fighting, and does her best to make that relationship work.

Daddy’s First Gay Date is so much more than one man’s coming-out story. Running at two hours, with a short interval, the show covered many other subjects, including racism, drug taking and loneliness, and did it at pace, with an energy that spanned the emotions. From high – I’ll mention the wicked car ride – to massive low points – Ben needing a hug from me in the audience to keep going – we journeyed with Ben, Tim and Helen and felt privileged to be part of their story. Sometimes in reviews, I write that I wanted to know what happened next to the characters after the lights went down, and this is one of those shows. I’ll also mention, without giving it away, that the show has given me an amazing motto to live my life by. My final thought on Daddy’s First Gay Date. There are rumours that Channel 5 wants to start producing the ‘Play for Today’ series again. If they did, then Daddy’s First Gay Date should definitely be the first RomCom in the series. A great show and a lovely night out.

Review by Terry Eastham

In Daddy’s First Gay Date, Ben, a man in his 30s, finally finds the courage to leave a 15-year relationship – only to discover that very night, he’s about to become a father. As he bids farewell to his ex-girlfriend, he tumbles headlong into his first encounter with a man. Both tender and funny, the play is a rom-com that unpicks masculinity, shame, bisexuality, and the messy, hopeful reality of queer life beyond the big city.

Sam Danson – Ben
Dior Clarke – Tim
Megan Edmondson – Helen

Written by Sam Danson
Directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair

DADDY’S FIRST GAY DATE
Seven Dials Playhouse
28 October to 16 November 2025