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Theater Review: 'Bare' At The Hayworth Theatre

Katie Buenneke |
September 8, 2013 | 1:16 p.m. PDT

Theater Editor

Payson Lewis and the cast of "bare." Photo by Leigh Schindler.
Payson Lewis and the cast of "bare." Photo by Leigh Schindler.
Gay teenagers, a Catholic high school, "Romeo and Juliet," and singing about your feelings: it all sounds kind of "been there, done that," doesn't it? If so, you're probably thinking of "bare," a cult classic musical that premiered in Los Angeles over a decade ago, and was quietly popular among musical theater kids, but never gained prominence until last winter's (heavily-revised) off-Broadway incarnation. The show lived on on the iPods of adolescent musical theater aficionados, with its cast of relatable characters and throbbing pop/rock score.

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.

Reach Theater Editor Katie here; follow her on Twitter here.

"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.



 

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