A sung-through musical about the love and lust shared by five attractive, twenty-something New Yorkers—what’s not to enjoy? Unfortunately, a lot. Even though the fresh-faced cast sings their eager little hearts out, they can’t overcome the stale, clichéd material and unlikable characters they’ve been weighted down with.

I Sing! is a musical  that’s mediocre at best and grating at worst. Written by Eli Bolin and Sam Forman, the thin plot involves two love triangles that play out over a few weeks. Nicky and Heidi are living in (seemingly) engaged domestic bliss, with Nicky’s friend Alan crashing temporarily on the couch and secretly crushing hard on Heidi. When Nicky initiates a break up, Alan seizes his chance and claims the heartbroken Heidi, whether she wants him to or not. Meanwhile Nicky has moved on with Pepper, a kinky barmaid who rooms with her gay best friend, Charlie. But due to his new and puzzling feelings for Pepper, Charlie has begun to question his sexuality. Confused yet? Don’t worry, all the bed hopping is easy to keep track of—it’s the emotions that are harder to pin down.

Only Heidi, played by Julie Painter, and Charlie, played by Angel Velasco, ever approximate anything more than a vague, stereotypical character sketch. Velasco is utterly charming from his first line, and Painter probes Heidi’s pain and confusion until it rings true. But since the extremely thin plot is told entirely through a collection of jarring, awkward songs (many of the lyrics get swallowed up by the onstage piano), the characters never seem to directly connect with each other. They spend more time singing self-explanatory songs about trying to desperately get things right than actually taking action. Sure they sing, but it would have been nice if they had something to say.