Ashley D. Kelley and A.J. Holmes with (background) Seth Hanson, Ana Yi Puig, John-Michael Lyles, and Molly Hager Photo by Kevin Berne

Thus begins Nobody Loves You, a 105-minute intermission-less musical journey in which Jeff (played with a delicious combination of superiority and insecurity by A.J. Holmes) decides to audition for the show with a two-pronged goal: to win back Tanya (Ashley D. Kelly, in one of several roles) and to expose the exploitative emptiness of reality television and, as a bonus, serve as a new subject for his dissertation. "I hate your stupid-ass show," he sings at one point.

The musical, which debuted in 2012 and opened in a re-worked and updated production this week at American Conservatory Theater's Toni Rembe Theater, is written by Bay Area natives Itamar Moses (book and lyrics) and Gaby Alter (music and lyrics) and takes place mostly inside the closed environment of "Nobody Loves You" (the reality show), where the contestants live together over the course of several weeks, occupying spaces like The Hot Tub Room, The Crying Room, and (for Jeff) The Solo Room. The scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West is appropriately flexible, transitioning smoothly between a variety of locations, with the proscenium sporting long, thin, lighted tubes that move to create a variety of rectangular forms to suggest a television screen or to isolate action.

The show-within-the-show has–like most reality TV–an array of personality types. There's Christian (Seth Hanson), who conveniently also happens to be "born again"; Megan (Molly Hager), a wine-swilling, slutty blonde whom Christian somehow manages to fall for (a savior complex?); Dominic (John-Michael Lyles), a blustery "bro" marinating in machismo; and Samantha (Ana Yi Puig), who is absolutely dying to win the show. Rounding out the cast are the crew: host Byron (Jason Veasey, who's so perfect as the unctuous host of "Nobody Loves You" that he ought to forward a recording of this show so his agent can pitch him for whatever reality show might be next up in production); Nina (Ashley D. Kelly), the show's hard-bitten producer with close to zero moral compass; and Jenny (Kuhoo Verma), the hard-working associate producer who joined the show in order to jump-start a career as a documentary filmmaker–though why a stint in reality TV would prepare someone for such a career seems a bit of a stretch.

But hey, everything in Nobody Loves You is a bit of a stretch because reality TV is anything but real. These people would never be drawn to each other in real life, but it matters little, as long as their interactions are suitably entertaining. And, in the hands of creators Moses and Alter, they mostly are. Under ACT Artistic Director Pam McKinnon's savvy direction, the show moves quickly, and is perhaps at its most entertaining when we see it from the POV of the viewers at home, especially when Superfan Evan (John-Michael Lyles), a flamboyant gay man, is engrossed in his favorite show (a moment that reaches its peak when "Nobody Loves You" ends up intruding into his life).

The songs mostly have a pop feel, with the tones of the numbers changing slightly for each character. The best number of the night might be the one that encapsulates the tenor of the show and reality TV: "Love is an Act." The cast display strong theatrical voices. Kuhoo Verma has an incredibly satisfying belt, and Ashley D. Kelley brings a wonderful sense of emotion that manages to be distinct for each of the characters she plays. Jason Veasey enraptures the audience with his gorgeous baritone that seems to channel R&B gods like Luther Vandross and Al Green.

Though some of the elements of the show seem a bit out of date (the contestants bestow mix CDs as a means of casting their votes/expressing their love interest), but there is a marvelous moment near the end when Tonya informs us that she has a new career as an "influencee" (someone paid to follow an influencer) and may develop a side hustle as a "life athlete" (someone paid to engage with a "life coach.")

Fear not for poor Jeff–he will find love before the final curtain. Which, on opening night, brought the audience to its feet.

Nobody Loves You runs through March 30, 2025, at American Conservatory Theater, Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary Street, San Francisco CA. Performances are Tuesdays-Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 1:00pm and 8:00pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 pm or 2:00pm. Tickets $25-$130. For tickets and information, please visit act-sf.org.