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| Bare - The Musical Photo: Belinda Strodder |
At St Cecilia’s boarding school, the students are going
through typical high school angst, while rehearsing for a production of “Romeo
& Juliet”. If you think that is a portent for mayhem and doom, you would be
right. But there’s still a lot of fun to be had along the way.
Bare – The Musical
has a cult following borne of its original Off-Broadway run in 2004. It’s been
through a number of changes over the years, having originally been produced as bare: a pop opera, which is a much more
interesting title than the one it’s now got under the current licensing
agreement.
I originally saw bare:
a pop opera at Cromwell St Theatre during Midsumma a decade ago. This was
right around the time I was discovering not all stage musicals had to be
multi-million-dollar budgeted with huge casts. I was overly effusive in my
praise of bare at the time, excited
to see a strong local production of a score I’d heard several variations of at
that point.
Ten years later, I thought I was headed to Stage Arts’
latest production to see the updated version of the show. In 2012, Bare was produced as a book musical,
which is a strange evolution for a sung-through musical to take. Luckily, this local
production is much closer to a pop opera,
retaining the original concept of Nadia, the “plain jane fatass” as she
describes herself in song, one of the highlights of the show.
Stage Arts have been producing strong productions of niche
musicals for a number of years now, having previously mounted In the Heights, Dreamgirls, The Color Purple and the excellent Falsettos earlier this year. I’d say Bare was a riskier venture, without the name recognition of the
earlier shows or the history of a show like Falsettos.
But given the crowd reaction at opening night, Stage Arts seem to be on another
winner.
For me, though, while the themes and experiences are timeless,
this is an early work by its writers and it shows. The central love story of
Peter and Jason, two boys falling in love at Catholic boarding school, is
intense as you would expect in a musical that alludes to Shakespeare and also
includes drug taking, underage sex and teenage pregnancy.
But the characters themselves are flat, cardboard cut-outs jumping
through the expected hoops of teenage melodrama. That doesn’t mean the show won’t
tug at your heartstrings though, and Adam di Martino makes a lot out of Peter’s
emotions – especially during “See Me,” a phone call to his mother.
Much more interesting are the previously-mentioned Nadia - Jason’s
sister, and Ivy - who hooks up with Jason after her birthday party. Set against
the backdrop of the central love story, these two characters seem less like clichés
– especially in the hands of actors Hannah Grondin and Hannah McInerny. Nadia
might lament about spending “A Quiet Night at Home” but when she’s invited out,
she finds her voice and Grondin steals focus every time she’s on stage – and to
good effect.
Ivy, who is oblivious to the love of Matt, falls for Jason,
and must struggle with multiple teenage problems and while “Portrait of a Girl”
suggests hidden depths, McInerny’s “All Grown Up” makes for the strongest
performance of the night. It’s a rocking portrait of teenage girl whose
Catholic upbringing hasn’t prepared her at all for growing up so quickly.
The production itself is superb, taking full advantage of
the stained-glass window at Chapel Off Chapel and some wonderful lighting from
Jason Bovaird, whose work must stretch from the intimacy of a confessional to
the wild incandescent vision of a rave.
Director and set designer Dean Dreiberg keeps the show
moving inside the simple, versatile set; and though the choreography is
slightly indulgent in places, it all makes for a gorgeous visual treat.
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