Full Synopsis

Full Synopsis

A light comes up on a woman. It is Jenny's mother.

In a musical prologue, we learn about a curious girl who suddenly passed at the age of twenty-five. Through the prologue, we are also introduced to Oliver and Phil ("What Can You Say?").

We transition to the library of Radcliffe, Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1963. A 19-year old girl with glasses appears. She has just closed her desk in the library as Oliver, a 20-year old student, rushes up to the desk. Jenny fetches the book Oliver is seeking and, after a brief exchange, Jenny suggests they celebrate.

At the coffee shop, Jenny and Oliver get to know each other. It is revealed that Oliver comes from a long line of well-respected Harvard alums. As the two take jabs and aggressively flirt, Oliver talks Jenny into coming to see his hockey game on Friday night. Jenny wonders what she is doing while she thinks about her own love for pianos and devotion to music ("Jenny's Piano Song").

As the music shifts, we see Jenny and Oliver in their own spaces; preparing for an evening at the ice rink ("Winter's Night"). The crowd arrives and, in a snapshot of moments, we experience the thrills and chills of the hockey game. Following the victory, in a spontaneous celebration, Jenny and Oliver share a passionate kiss. Oliver asks her to join him for a drink, but Jenny must prepare for her next piano recital.

As they part ways, we see the two on the phone - immediately following the hockey game. Oliver confesses that he thinks he might be in love with her ("Jenny's Piano Song Reprise").

A week later. Oliver is in the hospital and a Doctor is dressing a wound on Oliver's cheek. Oliver's father surprises him; Oliver is not pleased. We learn of a strained relationship between the two and that Oliver is now officially dating Jenny.

Jenny appears. She is in a dressing room near the recital hall and is on the phone with her father, Phil. Oliver has quietly entered the hallway and overhears their conversation. After a moment of confusion, Jenny reveals to him that it is her father, and not another man, who she was talking to.

As the audience settles in, Jenny takes to the piano and begins her recital. Her performance becomes the accompaniment to Oliver's inner-thoughts, as explores his passion for Jenny ("The Recital"). The concert ends and we move into the bedroom. Oliver and Jenny are in naked, post-coital bliss. It is here Jenny confesses her love for Oliver.

While the two get dressed, Jenny reveals that she is going to Paris - a world-renowned teacher has agreed to take her in. Oliver, who is distraught over this development, blurts out that he wants to marry her. Jenny is confused, Oliver is regretful ("What Happens Now?").

Next, Jenny and Oliver appear in Oliver's parent's house. His parents, Oliver III and Alison, enter. It is their first time meeting Jenny. As they sit to enjoy dinner, tensions arise and unbearable silence commences. Jenny dreams of how she will treat her children one day ("Noctures"). Alison invites Jenny to the other room to view family portraits; Oliver and his father begin to discuss Jenny's upbringing and past. His father believes she is not suited to enter into the Barrett family.

Following the fight, Jenny admits to Oliver that she feels like she's a chess piece in a twisted game between son and father. Oliver is shocked.

We now transition to a small Italian café in Cranston, Rhode Island. Phil, Jenny's father, is putting the finishing touches on a cake ("Phil's Piano Song"). Jenny arrives home. Oliver is with her. In conversation, it is revealed that the couple will be getting married soon; furthermore, Jenny has decided to stay in America and take a low-profile teaching job while Oliver completes law school - Phil is dismayed at the thought.

Music starts. We slowly move into Jenny and Oliver's wedding day. All of the characters reflect on the event ("Summer's Day"). Unpacked boxes have now filled the stage, as Jenny and Oliver begin examining their new apartment in North Cambridge. The two joke about what's to come in their new life and she begins to prepare a famous Cavilleri pasta dish ("Pasta").

A letter arrives; it is from Oliver's mother. It is an invitation to his father's sixtieth birthday celebration. A fight breaks out between the two, as Jenny attempts to push for reconciliation. In a fit of rage, Oliver storms out. The two reflect on this stage of life ("Everything We Know").

We now see Jenny and Oliver in a restaurant with a table prepared for an intimate meal for two. Jenny is blindfolded. Oliver reveals he is one of the top of his class at Harvard Law and they are celebrating with champagne and lobster. The two are elated and Jenny feels relieved ("The Tide Has Turned"). The music takes us to a new, beautiful, majestic apartment on East 63rd Street in New York City.

In a new scene, Oliver and Jenny are sharing their frustration of trying to become pregnant. Oliver runs out to work as Jenny continues to daydream about her kids ("Nocturnes").

At a hospital, Oliver meets with their Doctor. He reveals to Oliver that Jenny is very sick - she has leukemia. Oliver is shocked. Back at the apartment, Jenny is cooking and speaking to the ghost of her mother. When Oliver busts in, Jenny tells him that she called the doctor… she knows of the prognosis. They embrace and agree to fight it together ("Everything We Know Reprise").

In Boston, Oliver arrives at his father's office to ask for ten thousand dollars. Oliver refuses to reveal what the money is for and his father hesitates for a moment, but eventually hands him a check. Oliver leaves.

We now see Jenny in the kitchen, some time later. She is much weaker. After an attempt of playing the piano, Jenny stops. They rush to the hospital. Next, in the hospital, Jenny is asleep in a bed; she is pale and weak. The Doctor tells Oliver that there is very little time left. In the other room, Phil is by Jenny's bed, holding her hand.

Oliver comes in and tries to comfort Jenny. She tells him it's nearly time and asks that he just hold her. As he climbs into her bed and they embrace, the lights fade. Young women appear on stage and sing of Jenny's untimely fate ("What Can You Say? Reprise").