Theater Review: 'Bare' At The Hayworth Theatre
And man, are those characters relatable—the four main characters, as written by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere, fit into the four main tropes of theater kids. There's Peter (Payson Lewis), who came to terms with his sexuality years ago, but is grappling with the challenges of being in love with his still-closeted boyfriend, Jason (Jonah Platt). Jason, for his part, is a talented actor, though no one knew it until he eschewed the baseball team in favor of auditioning for the school play. Terrified of what his father will say if he comes out, Jason is living a lie. Meanwhile, his sister Nadia (Shelley Regner, at this performance) knows she's talented, but is living in the shadow of her prettier, skinnier, more sexually-liberated roommate, Ivy (Lindsay Pearce). Ivy is insecure in her own way, but is happy to play Juliet opposite Jason's Romeo, and their onstage relationship quickly begins to inform their offstage interactions.
It's very possible that glory|struck productions and director Calvin Remsberg have staged a faithful, heartfelt version of 'bare.' Unfortunately, due to incredibly poor sound quality, it is impossible to discern what is going on half the time. Any song that features more than one vocalist and more than one instrumentalist (i.e. most of the score) is a muddle of meaningless noise, and in a show where the vast majority of the story is told through song, that's incredibly problematic.
Brandon Baruch's lighting design beautifully lights the space and characters, and Josh Clabaugh's scenic design effectively moves between the different spaces of St. Cecilia's boarding school. Jen Oundjian's choreography seems overly stylized at first, but pays off in the last scene, and the previously too-abstract motions start to make more sense.
In the more comprehensible moments, "bare" seems adept enough, though some plot developments and characterizations are startlingly cliche. Though "bare" is older than "Spring Awakening," it's hard not to be reminded of the younger, more popular story of teens experimenting with their sexuality in a repressive environment, or feel like maybe "Spring Awakening" told the story a little bit better.
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"bare" is playing at the Hayworth Theatre (2511 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057) through September 22. Tickets are $35-$45. More information can be found at bare.glorystruck.com.
Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect the 2004 off-Broadway production of Bare.