All’s Fair in Cheesecake

While the titular cheesecake of Masque the Musical: A Cheesecake Love Story never gets made love to in a literal sense (in fact, it’s not even a central concern), it does represent, in a way, the musical’s spirit: It’s a small moment in which main characters Brent and Alicia bond over the simple pleasure of eating something delicious, but it means so much more.

“Every relationship is a process and not necessarily a destination,” notes writer/director Nik Ridley, and the play takes that idea and runs with it, following the travails of its two central lovers as they meet, fall out and try to reconcile — and while there’s serious drama at stake, it doesn’t, as the title suggests, take itself too seriously. Plus, it comes with a live band. “The whole second act is pretty festive, but it’s not The Sound of Music, says Ridley. “The music really tells the story and gives the play a resolution, but it’s also got a real-life twist to it. We wanted to make it ring true for people.”

Eat the cake starting this afternoon at 4 p.m. and continuing Sundays and Thursdays (at 7 p.m.) through July 14 at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo Street; tickets are $20 and are available at www.ridleyltd.com or by calling 303-339-3819.

Sundays, 2 p.m.; Thursdays, 7 p.m. Starts: July 3. Continues through July 14, 2011