Not only were “Andy Stack’s” Geekbird and Phat Man Dee’s “Janet” some of my favorite characters, but their jazzy electronica collaboration during the second act was one of the highlights of the show.

But my complaints about the show are far outweighed by my praise for it. It’s hard enough to describe an event as personal, massive, contradictory, multi-faceted, and ever-changing as Burning Man (believe me, I’ve tried), much less distill it down into a cohesive musical. But the geniuses behind this show have done the damn near impossible with their soon-to-be roadshow.

What’s remarkable about this opera is how much ground it manages to cover, and cover well. The story centers around two sets of newbie burners: one a newly single woman whose friends convinced her that Burning Man would “heal her” and change her life; the other a hetero couple who believe they’re going on a camping trip and are challenged by what they find.

Through these main characters, the musical explores a dizzying array of themes, experiences, and aspects of Burning Man, including (but certainly not limited to): drugs, art cars, Thunder Dome, punks vs. e-tards, monogamy vs. polyamory, costumes, spirituality, nudity, sexual boundaries, marching bands, The Cult of Larry Harvey, trouble among the BORG bigwigs, legal issues, cops, and, most importantly, ambivalence about each of these things.

In fact, it’s the ambivalence that makes this show work. For example, in one song, the female newbie – freshly costumed and topless – sings an admonishment at a man for taking her picture without asking, angry that he’s sexualizing her. At the end, however, she glances at the picture and remarks, “But I do look hot.” The existence of contrasts and paradoxes (e.g. selling coffee at a non-commercial event) is one of the hardest things to explain to non-burners, but is one of the most consistent aspects of the Burning Man experience. That the musical takes on this tricky-but-essential attitude is what makes this show more than a love letter to, or advertisement for, That Thing In the Desert.

“Brook” (played by Jenneviere, whose diminuitive frame belies her impressive set of pipes), finds transformation and acceptance when she’s finally costumed in fur, sequins, wings, and boots. Though some may find fault with this Grease-reminiscent “Sandra Dee must conform” conclusion, it’s hard to argue that it’s not an accurate representation of the Burning Man experience – (and many will argue that Brook, as well as many burners, really are finding their true selves and styles through costumery).

The feel of the musical itself is all over the map, sometimes jazzy, sometimes reminiscent of rock operas like Hair, sometimes invoking Rocky Horror Picture Show (with our very own playa-bound Brad and Janet), and, at its best, nodding to tropes of classical musicals (such as the a capella quartet of singing lawyers). And, like most musicals, it gets a bit slow after the intermission.

But whatever is lost through inconsistency or exposition is more than made up for by the emotions the show evokes. As the cast walks the audience through the experience of Burning Man, from greeting at the gate to the dying embers of the burned man, so do they lead the audience along an emotional journey – and one that, as it is on the playa – isn’t always pleasant. The transformation that burners talk about isn’t gained easily, and the musical portrays the doubt, fear, self-loathing, confusion, grief, and physical strain that many (if not most) burners experience in Black Rock City – culminating in the song “I’m Just a Man” that literally brought me to tears.

All in all, this is a show by burners about burners, and bares the mark of aesthetic and emotional accuracy that's necessary for its success. Whatever the Burning Opera’s short-comings, they pale in comparison to its numerous and unlikely achievements – most of all, winning over the highly-protective and skeptical audience of burners, and me.

Oct 20-21, 6:30pm
$35-$300
Teatro Zinzanni
Pier 29, SF
www.burningopera.com
Note: Check the Website for photos, song samples, and more information

David Peterson plays “Darko,” a DPW/ThunderDome/MadMax burner whose attitude and voice recall classic rock operas like Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair.