Stop me if you’ve heard this one. There was a young gay man who grew up in the 70s and early 80s in New York. He worked for his father but really wanted to perform and write songs. So, he took dance lessons, voice lessons, and acting lessons on his own and tried out for shows but never was cast. He even quit his day job so he could focus on improving his performance skills and audition more. Still, he wasn’t being cast.

The young man’s love life worked pretty much the same way. He would go to clubs, meet what he thought might be a good candidate for Mr. Right, but invariably the other person would only turn out to be Mr. Right Now. And, of course, this being the 70s and 80s, there is an AIDS angle to the story.

Enough already, you say? You stopped me a couple of paragraphs ago but I wasn’t listening? Well, that’s pretty much the story of …And Then I Wrote A Song About It, which is currently making its West Coast premiere as part of Diversionary Theatre’s season.

Of course, it’s a musical, a one-man musical whirlwind, the show’s marketing says. Probably the music makes up for the story-told-a-thousand-times book (by Eric H. Weinberger), right? Well, maybe a little. Of course, some of the songs are ones that our hero has composed, so they’re not supposed to be very good. Others are better, tuneful, easy to listen to, but with lyrics that sometimes grated (music by Daniel S. Acquisto, lyrics by Sammy Buck). Plus, there’s only eleven songs in a show that runs nearly two hours without an intermission – and that means there’s a lot of that predictable book for what is billed as a musical. They’re conducted and played by San Diego State student Thomas Hodges (composer for Diversionary’s New York success d estime, Dear Harvey), who is rapidly turning into a major talent.

Well, maybe the solo performer makes up for it all. And, in a way, he does. Nick Cearley is endearing, charming, and nearly makes you forget the material he’s performing. His voice is sweet, but the songs seem to demand a Broadway belt that he doesn’t have. Mr. Cearley’s performance is helped along by Igor Goldin’s fluid direction and recreation of original choreography, by Antoinette DiPietropolo. Mr. Goldin assisted himself in this task by designing (with Diversionary’s Bret Young) a set that focuses the action on Mr. Cearley and gives him a high level of connection with the audience by placing him up close and personal a lot of the time. Michelle Caron’s lighting design and Hunter Kaczorowski’s sparkly costumes glitz up the joint in good ways.

…And Then I Wrote A Song About It filled at the last minute an open slot in Diversionary’s season that had been rumored to be for a play such as off-Broadway’s The Tempermentals. It also represents Dan Kirsch’s last production as Diversionary’s Executive and Artistic Director. The San Diego theatre community should thank Dan for his many contributions to the artistic vitality of our community, wish him all the best in whatever comes next for him, but also hope that his successor won’t have to judge a show such as this one as being a viable one for Diversionary’s subscription season.

…And Then I Wrote A Song About It runs through April 10.

DOWNLOAD CAST AND CREDITS HERE

And, here's Nick singing a song from the show: