The show follows Jamie, a writer in 1980’s Manhattan, possessed of so little clarity that when he looks out over the jagged and exciting New York nighttime, all he can see are bright lights and a big city, splotches of reality through a haze of illusion. The world around him is a fever dream full of perfect people with their own crystal clear vision, like his supermodel ex-wife Amanda, or Tad, best friend and devil’s advocate with a talent for finding the fun and riding the high. Bored at work, neglecting his writing, and sexually frustrated to within an inch of his life, Jamie turns to the glamour of drugs and hysteria in the downtown club scene—yet despite his best efforts, the pain and grief of the real world find a way in, and soon nowhere is safe from the visions of the past and the demands of the present. As Jamie struggles in the grip of his guilty imagination, his final decision—whether or not to suffer through the process of reclaiming a life gone so utterly wrong—finally opens him up to grief, freedom, and a cautious pulse of hope. We are all running past bright lights into the heart of a big city. Bright Lights, Big City suggests that the same things can chase you and beckon you to safety, wherever you’re going—but you need to find the strength to decide upon a direction.