His Time Is Limited, Her Love Is Not : Theater: ‘Encore,’ Molly Hardy’s tribute to her pal, Jim Boyer, features several of the AIDS patient’s songs.

Molly Hardy tried to control herself but couldn’t. The sobs kept coming as she recalled Saturday’s performance of “Encore,” the play Hardy wrote as tribute to her friendship with a man who has AIDS.

“I’ve got to tell you, it was incredible,” she whispered, then hesitated. “I don’t know how to describe it. The audience stood and applauded Jim for five minutes. They responded to the play and to Jim, all the laughing and crying . . . it was like a miracle.”

Hardy was talking about Jim Boyer, a songwriter she has been close to for eight years and who is in the disease’s critical stages. He traveled from San Diego on Saturday night to watch “Encore,” which features several of his songs, in its premiere at the Orange County Coalition of the Theatre Arts’ tiny stage in Costa Mesa.

“I know how important this was to him,” Hardy said. “He was acknowledged for what he is and the artist he is. Jim’s time is limited, and this was all so perfect. . . . I care about him so much.”

“Encore” takes much of its inspiration from the experiences shared by Hardy, a straight, happily married 40-year-old San Clemente woman, and Boyer, a gay, 36-year-old musician who lives in San Diego with his companion of 11 years.

Hardy and Boyer met in 1982 as students at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo and soon after collaborated on her one-act drama, “Heaven’s North of Here,” which centers on a teen-age suicide victim. Hardy asked Boyer, a business major at the time, to contribute a few songs.

The one-act attracted the attention of schools, churches and youth groups, which often asked the two to stage it for local children. Boyer and Hardy found themselves traveling around the country together, performing and leading post-show discussions about teen suicide.

They developed a closeness that came from ongoing personal contact and genuine affection for each other. It was a relationship that both pleased and confused Hardy, who conceded that she had something of a crush on the mysterious Boyer.

“He was very attractive, but there was this side of him that was aloof and, of course, I found that attractive,” she remembered. “There was never any sexual tension between us, and that surprised me. Not because I wanted anything to happen--I didn’t because I have a good marriage--but it was odd that there wasn’t any of it at all.”

According to Boyer, interviewed by phone from his San Diego home, Hardy also didn’t know much about his private life, which perplexed her even more. He was reluctant to tell Hardy about his homosexuality for fear that it would hurt the friendship.

“Back then there were few people who knew I was gay,” he said. “Molly couldn’t figure out why I never dated (women). Finally, she just asked what was going on. I hesitated at first, but then I told her my story. From that point on, our relationship really became ingrained. The sexual thing was removed, and we became so in tune with each other.”

After learning that Boyer had been found to have acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Hardy wanted to get involved, so she helped him start a support group in San Diego. The experience was gratifying but also disturbing because of the pain that group members had, she said.

An important scene in “Encore,” in which straights and gays with AIDS talk about their frustrations, was drawn from her observations. Hardy took the play’s title from the acronym for the group’s motto, Encouraging Nurturing Caring Open Relationships with Everyone.

Hardy began working on “Encore” in the spring and promptly asked Boyer to contribute his awareness of AIDS and a series of songs.

Boyer described his involvement, and Hardy’s love, as a “godsend.”

“It helped in getting away from the depression. . . . Molly has been instrumental in trying to keep me out of the pit, this deep pit that comes from having a disease like this. She told me to get off my butt and do something,” he said.

“There have been so many people who have been so good to me. I have a family that is 100% supportive and a wonderful lover. . . . Molly is one of the most supportive. It’s a gift to have people like that around you.”

As for “Encore,” Boyer hopes audiences receive a simple message: “What I want is people to not only get an understanding of AIDS but of human relationships. Through Molly and I, you can see how people can really care about each other. There can be hope to create lasting bonds between people, no matter who they are.”

“Encore” plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through Dec. 30 at the Orange County Coalition of Theatre Arts, 729 W. 16th St., Costa Mesa. Tickets: $10. Information: (714) 361-9401.