How Did First Date Composer Michael Weiner Turn a Dating Setback into a Showtune?

Think twice before you reject a musical theater composer—you might just make it into the show he’s writing!

First Date composer Michael Weiner recently married Wendi Bergamini (a Broadway actress whose credits include Promises, Promises and Evita) but according to The New York Times, Weiner and Bergamini’s relationship inspired at least one tune in the upcoming Broadway musical comedy, which begins previews at the Longacre Theatre on July 9.

Weiner met Bergamini through mutual friends in October 2008, but was dismayed after receiving a voicemail from her that insisted the duo just be friends. So how did Weiner channel the rejection? With the song “I Really Wanna Be Your Friend,” which found its way into First Date during its premiere run in Seattle in 2012.

The song was eventually cut, but still exists as a line of dialogue in the Broadway version of the musical, which follows two unsuspecting strangers on a blind date (wherein Google background checks and phantom exes also play a part). Weiner explained that the the dating histories of the First Date creative team inspired the show’s hilarious material.

As for Weiner and Bergamini, the pair sparked a romance a few months after their initial song-inspiring interaction and, after Weiner proposed from the stage in Seattle, the couple married on June 29 in New York. Um, hello: First Date spoiler alert!?!