Gordon and Landau's work follows the lives of two friends, Peter Cody, known as Peppy, and Vernon Dexter--both sons of young widows living in Wyoming, when the opus begins--over the course of 40 years. The boys are separated when Sarah, Peter's mother, decides to send him to live with his well-to-do psychiatrist uncle, Howard, a painfully repressed bachelor, in Connecticut to improve his opportunities in life. Peter marries Madge, a musician, becomes a successful architect, and turns his back on the life he left behind in Wyoming.

When he finally does return there, he finds that his mother has died, her ranch in ruins, and is told by Vernon's embittered mother that he has died, too. He encounters a very much alive Vernon in New York, however, and they have a brief, but frustrating reunion. Vernon moves on to Minnesota, San Francisco, and San Diego, in succession, to find himself. He becomes involved in gay life, gay liberation and AIDS activism, and later learns that he is HIV positive. Peter's loveless marriage dissolves. His career falls apart when he fails to achieve his vision of fusing the wide-open spaces of the west with the skyscrapers of the east. After he beats his uncle badly during a quarrel, he is confined to a psychiatric hospital. Throughout their separation, Peter and Vernon find that their deep empathy and friendship gives them the power to have the same dream at the same time and connect and communicate with each other through these dreams, till the moment of death and, perhaps, even beyond.

A composer of classical music, theater music, and works that straddle both worlds, Gordon has created for "Dream True" a varied, compelling and accessible music theater score, informed by classical elements. Peter (Jeff McCarthy) sings of his career in sophisticated Sondheimesque strains. "We Will Always Walk Together," the last, heartrending song sung by Vernon (Daniel Jenkins), is virtually an art song and dramatic monologues for Madge (Judy Kuhn) and Howard (Steven Skybell), almost arias. There is a upbeat, swinging number, replete with late-1940s images, for Howard and a male trio (Francis Jue, Bryan T. Donovan and Michael Cole) that functions as a quasi-chorus. An exquisite solo for Sarah Cody (Jessica Molaskey), "Finding Home," boasts melismas and the concerted numbers, complex harmonies and even dissonance.

One ensemble, "Pride," could find a home in the repertories of gay choruses. Alex Bowen and Jase Blankfort, brimming with vitality as young Peter and Vernon, and Amy Hohn, as Dray, Vernon's mother, complete the cast. Musical director Joshua Rosenblum ably guides the company of singing actors and small instrumental complement. Designer G.W. Mercier evokes cities and ranchlands, apartment, restaurant and hospital room with succinct simplicity.

Taking vocal honors, as Adèle, was Kyung Sun Choi, who disclosed a promising limpid and agile soprano in her florid entrance aria, "En proie à la tristesse." Tenor Aaron Binder's instrument, however, sounded too harsh and unwieldy for the high coloratura title assignment. Baritone Andrew McQuery made the most of Ory's crony, Raimbaud's patter aria, "Dans ce lieu solitaire," about discovering the castle's well-stocked wine cellar. Matthew Burns, Georgia Jarman, Dawn Padula and Kristin Reiersen acquitted themselves estimably in the other roles.

Musical highlights, under Steven Crawford's baton, included a marvelous a cappella ensemble expression of astonishment, when the holy hermit is revealed to be the libertine Count, "O terreur, ô peine extrême!" sung with impressive precision, and the men's contrasting a cappella nuns' plea, "Noble châteleine, voyez notre peine," and rollicking drinking song, "Buvons, buvons." Broadly comic direction was by Michael Patrick Albano. A perfect medieval castle in miniature dominated Karen TenEyck's set design. Costuming was devised by John Carver Sullivan. [BMG]