“Is there even such a thing as a One-Third Life Crisis?”

Aaron is a 29-year-old company troubleshooter who has fallen into a rut in what astrology buffs would call his “Saturn Return” year. “I haven’t done anything I set out to do,” he laments in the song “Lost.” “This isn’t how things are supposed to be…is this what it feels like to lose your way?” He spends his days held prisoner by the system, doing meaningless work for people who would get rid of him in a heartbeat. Just getting a long-enough lunch break to be able to leave the office is a victory. (“Can’t you just bring crackers to your desk?” is the vile suggestion from the higher-ups). Aaron’s only respite is Tuesday Pub Trivia over IPAs with the colleagues he does connect with, like his bubbly buddy Charlie.

Into this existential crisis comes Penny, a new management trainee full of cheer and optimism (“We Can Have It All Someday”). Penny and Aaron connect meaningfully and seem on the verge of romance—but she’s also a determined go-getter, and the corporate ladder threatens to take her away to become just another crushed soul. Can Aaron and Penny ride the corporate waves back to each other? It’s a fun journey either way.

Finding Aaron is a smart, funny new musical populated with familiar personalities. Though it sheds a black light on the epidemic of the career path that leads nowhere, it does so with charm and hope. The archetypes abound and are cleverly drawn—Mark Ross, the disconnected supervisor; Ted, the power-hungry, duplicitous predator; Chad and Brad, the cackling, clueless “Bros”; And Lois, the over-it-all employee on auto-pilot. Corporate stooges Mark and Ted have plans for the company that threaten all our heroes, who are just struggling to not only survive, but to live and work with purpose and connection. The result is an intriguing chess match between the “suits and the blue jeans.”

At a reading held through at the Emerging Artist’s Theatre’s Spark Theatre Festival in September, the scene was set with the song “Corporate America,” performed by most of the talented cast. The songs verge from witty to poignant to hilarious, including Aaron’s expletive-filled takedown of Ted when he finds out the truth about him. The corporate mover/sleazeball threatens to take Penny away from Aaron both romantically and physically. He wants to send her to the corporate office in Singapore, where he promises to visit occasionally in the pretense of continuing their relationship. Penny’s dilemma, to either sacrifice who she is and the people she cares about for career success, or resign and face an uncertain future, is one that resonates deeply. She tries to fit in with Ted’s crowd but her true self resists; she even makes a Doctor Who reference, giving us rebellious bohemians a clue as to where her heart (hearts?) lie. (She also reveals during a pub trivia session that she has a black belt in jiu jitsu, and we just know that will come in handy later in the show.) Her internal struggle is depicted in several poignant musical moments, including “A Part of Me I Didn’t Know Before.” The journey back for Aaron and Penny is moving and memorable, and very funny.

Finding Aaron is a fun, brisk show and its songs drive the narrative forward with deftness. When fully realized it will be a must-see, for everyone (to paraphrase Rent) living in America at the beginning of the millennium.

Finding Aaron’s book is by Kris Maloy and Jolie Beth Boudreaux, with Music and Lyrics by Maloy. The director is Sujin Moon.