ACT I

An over-the-top number prepares the audience for what they’re about to see (“Boobs!”) before we travel back in time to Houston 1962. TV ads, magazine covers, and a popular new doll have redefined the perfect female figure—and everyday women wish they could measure up (“Barbie Doll”). Also feeling deflated is Dr. John Conan, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Baylor Medical Center in Houston, who dreams of a medical breakthrough that will make him famous (“Second Best”). His protege, Dr. Hank Rousseau, actually makes the discovery, but Dr. Conan gushes over his new innovation, the silicone gel breast implant (“The Quest”). After successfully placing silicone gel implants in a dog (“Esmeralda”), Dr. Rousseau performs the first-ever breast augmentation surgery on Tammy Brie Harley, a penniless, divorced mother of six (“Faith and Hope”). Silicone gel takes off “like a rocket,” and Houston becomes the mecca of breast augmentation (“Houston Rockets”), which rapidly becomes the #1 cosmetic surgery performed worldwide (“You Can Do This/Cleavage”). Across the pond, French plastic surgeon Dr. Hugo Aryonn invents saline implants as a more natural solution (“God’s Plan”). Dismissing saline implants as watered-down, Dr. Conan educates interns on the definition of plastic surgery (“Plastic”). Dr. Rousseau meets breast cancer survivor Glenda Byrne, who opens his eyes to reconstructive surgery and opens his heart to love (“The Quest (Reprise)”). Problems with silicone begin to surface as some women complain of an unexplained hardening of their implants (“Capsular Contracture”). Unconcerned, an executive from Dow Morning, the major silicone gel manufacturer, holds a lunch to celebrate silicone sales and belittle saline implants over fine French cuisine (“French Whines”). Silicone implant issues expand as other women are afflicted by a mysterious autoimmune disease (“Silicone Immune Reaction”). Still, Glenda receives her implant, and she and Dr. Rousseau fall in love (“The Perfect Match”). At their wedding, women lament the ruptured silicone gel implants they were told would last forever (“Ruptured”). Dow Morning no longer can ignore the mounting issues when confronted by attorney Don Fulton, who has obtained damning internal documents (“Consequences”). 19,000 women file suit, and after losing ever-increasing verdicts, Dow settles for 3.4 billion dollars (“Guilty”). Tammy Brie debates whether to keep her silicone gel implants while Glenda announces to Dr. Rousseau that she has cancer in the other breast—and she’s pregnant (“What Do You Do?”).

ACT II

Many women who chose to remove their breast implants after the lawsuits experience regret (“Melon-choly”) as Glenda, a new mom, is forced to remove her remaining breast. Drs. Rousseau and Conan try to find the silver lining (“The Bright Side”) until Darren Kessle, head of the FDA, bans silicone gel implants, forcing Dow into bankruptcy (“What Went Wrong?”). Dr. Conan and Dr. Aryonn finally meet and duel over silicone versus saline implants; Dr. Aryonn prevails (“Saline Is Safe”). Angry that saline is her only breast implant reconstruction option, and incensed that Dr. Rousseau is not advocating for her, Glenda leads breast cancer survivors to rally for silicone (“It’s My Choice”). The women prevail, but Dr. Conan dies from broken heart syndrome (“Broken”). Glenda returns to console Dr. Rousseau (“The Perfect Match (Reprise)”), and the Institute of Medicine releases a comprehensive study that demonstrates the safety of silicone gel implants (“Silicone Rocks It”). Dr. Rousseau develops the next generation breast as the French, led by butcher-turned-CEO Jean-Claude Mas, develop a revolutionary—and questionable—new silicone gel implant; it fails miserably (“Deja Boob”). Dr. Rousseau wonders whether his life’s work has made a difference until he finds DeeDee, a trans woman seeking feminizing breast surgery, in his consulting room (“Just a Girl”). Dr. Conan and Dr. Aryonn meet one last time in Heaven (“Grand Plan”) to fulfill God’s plan: a vast array of breast implants of all sizes, shapes, and styles. DeeDee and other patients choose their perfect pair (“The Breast Buffet”), then show them off at the curtain call (“cleaVage (Reprise)”).