Story
A down on his luck gay bear finds unexpected romance with his married best friend’s paramour, hilariously exposing carefully held secrets amongst his circle of friends.
Perpetually single Frederick is envious of his fabulous gay friend Joe, who seems to have a never-ending supply of paramours, despite being happily married himself. But when Frederick’s meddling mother arrives for a visit, she thrusts him into an unexpected and forbidden romance, and a series of unforeseen secrets and betrayals will either send Frederick running from Cardiff - or - just possibly find the home for which he’s always longed.
Cardiff is the fast growing, multi-cultural, bustling capital of Wales. A key economic artery of the United Kingdom, this port city also has a long history as a major exporter of coal. Though sometimes overlooked, this burgeoning metropolis should never be underestimated.
As one of the largest and most diverse LGBTQ communities in the UK, Cardiff is the perfect setting for this story.
Frederick, who to his great disdain is regarded as a “bear” in the gay community, is perpetually single and has reluctantly returned home to Cardiff from London for a visiting professorship. One part sincere, one part snarky, Frederick is done with dating though still can’t help but to notice a handsome fellow. In the absence of the former, Frederick finds comfort in his daily cappuccinos over an historical biography, is passionate about black and white movies, Chinese take-out, and at the end of the day is a romantic at heart.
(early 40s, Welsh)
Properly Welsh and fabulously gay, Joe is the Director of Drama at the University of South Wales. He’s been with his artist husband Claude since the days of Margaret Thatcher. Joe delights in decorating, baking, entering his prized canine children Topaz and Sapphire in regional dog shows and makes it all look so easy. Nearly three years ago, in an effort to keep things fresh, Claude and Joe agreed to open up their marriage, and ever since, Joe’s enjoyed a parade of male lovers. He believes his relationship with Claude is happy and fulfilling for them both, but his current escalating affair with a new paramour reveals an unexpressed chasm in his marriage.
(50s, Welsh)
A struggling light installation artist, Claude has loved his husband Joe, since A Flock of Seagulls and A-HA ruled the airwaves in Great Britain. Claude loves Bossa Nova, grape popsicles, fine dining, travel and spending time with Joe watching Great British Bake Off and American movies. Claude has a hidden identity that he’s been quietly exploring and is worried that he and Joe may be drifting apart.
(50s, Welsh)
(late 60s, American)
Sally is Frederick’s feisty, spiritual and meddling mother, and has been in numerous relationships with men, women, non-binary and trans people over the years. Sally regards herself as pan-sexual though nobody ever seems to remember this and assumes she’s a femme lesbian. Sally has also had a myriad of careers, including car sales, international tour guide, yoga instructor, doula, and most recently trained as a somatic body therapist before falling in love with her instructor Vanessa and relocating to Chechnya to open a community somatic body therapy clinic for war orphans before being unceremoniously dumped. With nowhere to go, Sally has arrived in Cardiff to stay with her dear, full-figured son Frederick while planning her next move, all the meanwhile harboring an explosive secret of her own.
Omar is a first generation Bangladeshi British Muslim married to Priya, and is the father of two small children. A structural engineer, Omar has always followed the expectations of his traditional family, and only recently, he’s begun to explore a long hidden same-sex attraction. Strong, reassuring, and one to never forget to appreciate the small joys in life, Omar becomes the central attraction in the story, forcing those around him to examine their own desires.
(mid 30s, English or Welsh)
