Finn's first show was called "Sizzle" and was produced at Williams College in the fall of 1971. Finn wrote the music and lyrics, and his good friend, Charlie Rubin, wrote the libretto. "Sizzle" was the first original musical produced on the Williams College campus since Stephen Sondheim attended the college over 20 years earlier. "Sizzle" was a coming of age musical about college students but concluded in an unusual way with the star of the show, played by J. Tyler Griffin, Jr., dying in an electric chair. "Sizzle" played to packed houses. Rubin possesses a reel-to-reel tape containing excerpts from the show, including most of the music.