Casey and Cameron are both on dates with someone else. But a lawless driver and a no show mean they’re both left at a loose end. Their eyes meet across a busy restaurant. Then a chance encounter over some sheet music seals the deal. Everything’s going beautifully until an accidental overhearing in the supermarket aisle catapults the lovebirds into crisis. The twist in this plot is you choose the Casey and you choose the Cameron. You choose their best friends. And by default, you’ve chosen the actors who’ll play all the other parts.

Reject Me, Already by Paul Richard Keegan is a brand new comedy musical that premiered last year at Sacred Heart University, Connecticut. This is its first UK outing. It’s a brave concept. Six actors start the show with a winning smile and a two line pitch. This audience plumped for Christopher Conte as Cameron and Nick Rubano as Casey. As Cameron’s best friends, they selected another same sex couple (Colleen DeGennaro, Sage Sperling). The actors sprang into action. Grace Peknic served the would-be diners a grudging welcome in their restaurant seats and the show began.

The set uses the compact space well, with colourful projections punctuating the swift scenes. The cast smoothly maneuver the furniture between scenes and we hopped from restaurants to carparks to apartments and back again in the blink of an eye. The scenes are snappy and the songs are bright and bouncy. The duet when Casey and Cameron marvel over their first meeting is especially sweet. Rubano brings a nice mix of cockiness and caution to his Casey. And Conte’s Cameron is bashfully endearing so the audience is entirely rooting for them by the time they first kiss.

The cast are enthusiastic as puppies but impeded by a couple of things. The pre-recorded music is loud. When the cast are singing as an ensemble, they hold their own but solo singers sometimes struggle. The second challenge is inherent in the show’s construct. Pre-recorded music at a pre-ordained pitch doesn’t suit all the singers. So music volume coupled with the pitch see Conte and Rubano labour occasionally in solos where a soprano would soar.

The script itself is classic romcom, served up with sitcom panache. But if you’re after a group of performers who love their show, love each other’s company and rise superbly to the nightly challenge, reject my thoughts already and get along and enjoy their adventurous show.

Reject Me, Already is at Greenside Various Venues until Sat 24 Aug 2024 (except Sun 18) at various times