PITTSFIELD, Mass. — PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It is July 8, 2007, 60 years after the Roswell incident. A young man, Evan (Wesley Taylor), has set himself up near Area 51 with a lawn chair and a video camera in hopes of spotting a UFO and taping it for posterity and his own advancement. He sings “We are Not Alone.” This is just one of the vignettes in the quirky musical “See Rock City & Other Destinations” being presented at Barrington Stage Company’s Stage II. It is inventive theater with a metaphysical message.

The musical, composed by Brad Alexander with book and lyrics by Adam Mathias, is part of BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab, which supports emerging writers, composers and lyricists. The show is being presented as a “young” script but, to my mind, it needs little work. As is, it is worthy of praise.

The show begins in a diner. Two young people, Jess (Benjamin Schrader) and Dodi (Gwen Hollander), meet and decide to go traveling together. He is a drifter who has been lured by the signs he has seen along the road to “See Rock City.” She is a waitress who says: “If I have to pour another cup of coffee, I’m going to kill somebody.” It’s all in her head, of course. “Did you ever kill somebody in your head?” she asks. “It’s not very satisfying.”

Self-discovery

And so the journey begins. It is a journey of self-discovery, taking risks, and finding out who you really are.

In “Remember the Alamo” Cassie Wooley (Lauren) brings her grandfather (John Jellison) who has had a stroke to the place where he met his beloved, now deceased wife. She meets Dempsey (David Rossmer). This is a touching episode in which the grandfather communicates his wish that Lauren should enjoy the enduring love that he and her grandmother have shared.

“Crossing Glacier Bay” tells the story of three sisters who must finally let go of their beloved father. He has requested they scatter his ashes over Glacier Bay.

Funny Vignette

“Coney Island Spook House” could probably use some tightening. Still it is the funniest and most powerful vignette in the show. Two teenage boys, Cutter and Rick (Schrader and Taylor), skip school to go to Coney Island. In the song “Dark Ride” they discover they may be more to each other than best friends. Rick’s final line to Cutter “What are you afraid of?” sums up the show’s central theme.

“Greetings from Niagara” is about a bride, Kate (Jill Abramovitz), who is having second thoughts about her impending marriage. When the “Tour Guide” invites her to go over the falls in a barrel, she sings “What Am I Afraid of?”

The story ends with the drifter and the waitress. Will they take the chance and travel together to other destinations? The answer is predictable, but the journey is worth taking.