Simple

Simple is a one-act musical that follows a mother’s awkward affair and her daughters struggle with coming out. The show pokes fun at the forbidden love trope but centers on the mother-daughter relationship. When Haley, the daughter, discovers her mother’s affair with her high school sweetheart, she’s forced to decide whether or not to reveal the affair to her father. This is only made more complicated since, being a result of teen pregnancy, she feels partially responsible. Meanwhile Mary, the mother, is really only concerned with losing her daughter once she goes to college. The show explores the themes of memory, independence, identity, and simplicity, something every character obsesses over in some form. The music itself serves as a way to emphasize the romanticization of the affair and the distance from reality as a tribute to old-school musical theatre tropes.