bare: A Pop Opera
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Book by Jon Hartmere, Jr. and Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics by Hartmere Music by Intrabartolo Directed by Debbie Niezgoda |
Synopsis:
Set in a Catholic boarding school, the show centers on a group of friends during their senior year. Altar boy Peter is in love with his roommate Jason, one of the most popular kids in school. They are carrying on a closeted romance but Peter wants to go public with their affair, at least to his mother, whom he loves dearly. Jason isn’t so keen on the idea, as he feels that his entire world would crumble if word of the relationship got out. Things get more complicated when Ivy makes a play for Jason. Her rejected suitor Matt discovers the secret that Peter and Jason have been keeping and it’s only a matter of time before things start to spin out of control.
bare is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW)
Peter: Ryan Khatcheressian
Jason: Dan Plehal
Ivy: Tara Moore
Nadia: Brittany Washington
Sister Chantelle: Rikki Howie
Clarie: Cathy Arnold
Priest: Michael Ehrlich
Tanya: Janelle Delaney
Kyra: Felicity Brown
Diane: Traci Brooks
Christy: Carla Okouchi
Matt: Brian Garrison
Lucas: Cory Okouchi
Alan: Michael Schaaff
Zack: Asher Miller
Producer: Shannon Khatcheressian
Assistant Producer: Leah Aspell
Director: Debbie Niezgoda
Assistant Director: Christy Jacobs
Choreographer: Christy Jacobs
Music Director: Scoot Kraig
Vocal Director: Michael Ehrlich
Stage Manager: Colleen Stock
Set Designer: Kevin King
Master Carpenter: Rick Wilson
Light Designer : Kevin King
Light Board Operator: Earl Boatman
Sound Design: Brian Anderson
Sound Board Operator: Brian Anderson
Costumes: Erin Anderson
Hair & Makeup: Molly Hicks
Props & Set Dressing: Theresa Bender
Publicity: Randy Jones
Program & Posters: Warren Reid
bare was an enormous hit when it opened in LA in 2000. The show was optioned for an off-Broadway run in 2004, where it was panned by critics and audiences alike. Ask someone to explain the plot of bare and you will hear nearly every Catholic school cliché in the book: teen pregnancy, drug use, homosexuality…almost the entire canon. Yet bare has an enormous cult following (just check Google or Facebook), and it is being performed in an increasing number of venues across the country. So how did such a seemingly clichéd show, a failure in NYC, generate such a loyal and passionate following? In three words? Characters and music.
First, the music…and what wonderful music it is! Reminiscent at times of Rent, and at times forging its own musical landscape, it lays bare the emotions of the characters and takes the audience deep into their souls. It is passionate and insistent and demands attention. The music grabs hold of your emotions and takes you on a careening, exhilarating, and ultimately cathartic ride through the romance of its two leads.
Which brings us to the characters: the closeted priest, the mother in denial, the student “purveyor of altered reality,” the popular girl, the jock, the overweight smart ass – all are seeming clichés, yet all are rendered with sympathy, humor, and compassion. Peter and Jason, the central characters, are high school seniors at St. Cecilia’s. They are in love and in the closet. Peter’s desire to embrace his sexuality and Jason’s struggle to accept his creates the conflict in the show. The conflict is due, in great part, to the restrictions placed upon the boys by the teachings of the Catholic Church. This simultaneously provides the composer and librettist the platform for an indictment of the Catholic Church as an institution and an affirmation of the faith in God held by the Church’s faithful. While the Catholic Church comes in for harsh criticism, the members of the faith, both clergy and lay people, are treated with gentleness and understanding. The villain in the play is blind obedience to the Church’s teachings at the expense of tolerance and empathy. The villain is not those who believe in God, faith, and/or religion. In fact, one of the strongest voices of God is the sharp-tongued nun, Sister Chantelle. Arguably the worst high school drama teacher on the face of the earth, she is the personification of God’s love and compassion for all of His children. It is she who speaks one of the greatest truths in the show: “if you hide from yourself; be someone else for someone else’s sake, that would be the greatest mistake.”
The theme of “one” recurs throughout the play: one voice, one kiss, one heart, one love; the image replays over and over in the lyrics and in the dialogue. Ultimately the play beautifully renders the impact that one person, one religion, one faith and, most importantly, one love can have on the life of another. As Peter says, “Father, we were so in love, and that’s what I find so odd. Our love was pure and nothing else brought me closer to God.” And that is it in a nutshell, isn’t it? True love (regardless of whether it be love between a parent and child, love between two friends, love between a man and a woman, love between a woman and woman, or love between a man and a man) brings us closer to the love of the Almighty. We see a reflection of God’s all-encompassing love when we love another, and to condemn the form taken by that love is to deny the grandeur of God’s gift to us.
–Debbie Niezgoda
To listen to the music click here
If you would like to purchase clothing related to the show check out our Cafe Press shop by clicking here.
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