Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

The story of As Bees in Honey Drown is summed up in one of the first lines from the play's central character: a young man gets caught up in a lifestyle that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Faced with the prospect of fame and fortune, he falls under the spell of a scheming promoter, discovers he's been defrauded to the tune of several thousand dollars and concocts a scheme of his own to get revenge. This play is a comic satire on the lure of success, containing several pointed references to both gay sensibility and contemporary popular culture.

The first act is subtitled "Life." In a photographer's studio, Wyler, a young man in his twenties, is posing for publicity photos. Conversation between the Photographer and his bored assistant Amber (who speaks about herself in the third person) reveals that...