Bare: The Musical

Bare
The Musical
Off-Broadway promotional poster
Music	Damon Intrabartolo Lynne Shankel (additional music)
Lyrics	Jon Hartmere
Book	Jon Hartmere
Productions	2012 Off-Broadway 2013 Off-West End 2013 Los Angeles 2014 Youngstown 2014 Barcelona 2014 San Diego 2015 Cardiff 2015 Medicine Hat 2016 Cork 2016 Buenos Aires 2016 Chicago 2016 Seoul 2016 Sydney 2017 Brighton 2018 Amsterdam 2018 Melbourne 2018 Brisbane 2018 São Paulo

Bare, also known as Bare: The Musical, is a coming-of-age rock musical with music by Damon Intrabartolo, and lyrics and a book by Jon Hartmere. It is a new version of Bare: A Pop Opera. The story follows a group of teens as they wrestle with their identities, sexuality and religion at a co-ed Catholic boarding school. As their final year of high school draws to a close, they attempt to navigate the complex road from adolescence to adulthood and must then deal with the consequences of their choices as they prepare to take the next step in their lives.

The revised musical began previews Off-Broadway on November 19, 2012, and opened on December 9, 2012, at New World Stages.^[1][2] Bare returned to Off-Broadway for a limited run in June 2013 at The York Theatre Company. This production was produced by Sponge Theatricals and Midtown Arts Common as a benefit for the LGBTQ youth homeless shelter, Trinity Place Shelter.^[3] The musical was produced by Paul Boskind, Randy Taradash, Gregory Rae, Carl D. White, Carollo & Palumbo LLC, and Martian Entertainment. Musical supervision and additional songs in this production were by Lynne Shankel and Hartmere. The creative team included director Stafford Arima, choreographer Travis Wall, set designer Donyale Werle, lighting designer Howell Binkley, costume designer Tristan Raines, sound designer Keith Caggiano, projection designer William Cusick, and hair and make up designer Leah J. Loukas.^[4][5][6] The original production closed on February 3, 2013.^[7]

Productions

On June 20, 2015, Bare had its Welsh premiere in Cardiff, at the YMCA Cardiff Theatre by Penny Productions, directed by Jay Coleman with musical direction by Connor Fogel. This amateur production starred Glen Jordan as Peter, Scott Jenkins as Jason, Emily John as Ivy, Alice Urrutia as Nadia, Alex Reynolds as Sister Chantelle and Phil Paisey as the Priest.

On February 18, 2016, Bare made its Irish debut in Cork at the C.I.T Cork School of Music. The show starred Michael Greene as Jason, Conor o' Boyle as Peter, Muirgean o' Mahony as Ivy, Tara Downes as Nadia and Luke Farell as Matt. The show went on to secure multiple A.I.M.S nominations, the countries highest musical theater accolade, including Best Male Singer for Greene's portrayal of Jason, Best Musical Director for Michael Young, Best Ensemble and Best Overall Show.

On July 6, 2017, Bare made its premiere in Brighton, an established LGBTQ destination nicknamed the "unofficial gay capital of the UK".^[8] Produced by Brief Hiatus, this production was directed by Conor Baum with choreography by Sarah-Leanne Humphreys, receiving critical acclaim.^[9][10]

Changes from the pop opera to the musical

Reasons to stage a new production of Bare included a greater awareness of bullying, the movement to legalize gay marriage, and an occurrence of LGBTQ suicides in the years following the 2004 production. In an article, Stafford Arima, the director of the current production, expressed his reasons, "Because of the timeliness of what's happening out there in the world, and because we have an author who is alive and living and present in this world, it only made sense to continue to evolve the piece so that it maintained its heart and its soul and its…guts”.^[11]

Although the basic plot and message have remained constant, one of the major changes has been altering the format from that of a pop opera to a book musical. Jon Hartmere, who wrote the book and lyrics, commented about that revision, saying, "The biggest change [is] having more space to explore the characters [...] To know these characters a little bit better... you just need more room — you need more room for book scenes, and I personally just wanted to get under the hood and investigate a little bit further." ^[12]

Hartmere, Arima, Lynne Shankel (music supervision) and Travis Wall (choreography) analyzed the show with resulting changes that included making the St. Cecilia’s students’ relationships more complex, changing and removing characters, adding and removing songs, and incorporating current technology and social media. Although Damon Intrabartolo did not play an active role in the current production, Shankel consulted with him concerning the revisions in order to follow through with his primary intent.^[13]

The team also added the start of Peter and Jason’s relationship, took away the roommate aspect of their situation, and transferred the song “Role of a Lifetime” from Peter to Jason. No longer overweight, Nadia has been made the school drug dealer, and angry outcast. Ivy has been made a transfer student and is now dating Matt, reasons that provide a stronger basis for Nadia’s anger. The students throw a birthday party for Jason instead of Ivy. The character of Peter’s mother was eliminated, with aspects being incorporated into the progressive nun Sister Joan. Also added is the character of Father Mike. Both replace similar characters from the original production.^[13][14] The show's timeline is also very different. Jason does not break up with Ivy right away after break and 'Kiss Your Broken Heart'. Instead, they platonically date for a while. He breaks up with her right before 'Pilgrim's Hands' and reconciles with Peter after 'You're Not Alone'.

Musical numbers

The below list is sourced from Playbill.^[15]

† Music by Lynne Shankel; lyrics by Jon Hartmere

†† Removed from song list prior to December 9 opening

Cast

The below list is sourced from Playbill.^[16]

Stagecraft

The inspiration for the set designed by Donyale Werle "came from looking at the way teenagers decorate and express themselves."^[17] Applied to the surfaces of the set were 15,006 4 inch square photos that were provided through Instagram by fans, friends, and other sources. Additional inspiration was derived from stained glass windows in houses of worship, and Damien Hirst’s "Doorways to the Kingdom of Heaven " and "Lullaby, the Seasons ". The imagery of squares repeated in the Instagram photos as well as in major elements of the set was representative of the boxes that people put both themselves and others in, how people identify themselves and others.^[18]

The costume design by Tristan Raines came at the musical from a different standpoint than what has normally been seen. Although there were still elements of a"uniform" or "dress code", Raines' explored how when given a template, how does one chooses to express themselves and break out of that said template. This caused the show to break down the visual barrier set out by a uniform and allowed the audience to see who the character really was. This aided in the goal of creating more character development within the story and allowed audiences to connect with the characters. The show boasted close to 150 different looks ranging from the fashionable, the "emo puppy dog", Pop diva inspired Virgin Mary, to thrifted steampunk Romeo and Juliet costumes.

The projection design by William Cusick included pre-taped projections as well as the use of live feeds from on-stage cell phones. The audience viewed the live feeds. Cusick commented about the use of the images, "We speak and read in images now in a way that, fifty years ago, wasn't necessary for theater. For a show like this, about images of self and identity, it is absolutely necessary." ^[19]

Advocacy and power

Bares' popularity and power stems from its honesty. It resonates with audiences as it provides truthful accounts of the common complexities that teenagers face. It inspires youth, by showcasing the ability to break past the institutions of religion, education and family, that can force us to confirm and hide behind a mask, rather than live a fulfilled life.^[20][21]

Bare is a significant piece within the history of gay theatre. It utilises a community of both gay and straight people, in order to show the "bare" humanity of the issues each individual face, rather than sexuality being the forefront of their struggles.^[20] LGBT Youth are 3 times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual equals, not because of their sexuality but the harassment, discrimination and stress of anti-gay stigma they receive.^[22] Although, the musical itself sends a powerful message to LGBTQ youth, producers embraced their influence and message by partnering with organizations that support LGBTQ equality including The Tyler Clementi Foundation, Athlete Ally, Human Rights Campaign and Faith in America.^[23][24]

A series of discussion sessions after performances called "talkOUTs" were organized, which were presented by representatives from the above foundations. The talkOUTs also included representatives from the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), Empire State Pride Agenda, the Point Foundation, and Rabbi Michael Mellen, a former director of NFTY, along with the producers, creative team, and cast.^[25][26] The producers, creative team, and cast also showed support for the NOH8 Campaign.^[27][28]

Planned film adaptation

On January 2, 2018, it was announced that Kristin Hanggi, who directed the original Los Angeles and New York productions of Bare: A Pop Opera, adapted the musical into a screenplay and is planning to turn it into a motion picture. Tony Award-nominated producers Hillary Butorac Weaver and Janet Billig Rich will produce the film. That same day, they asked fans of the show from past and present to self-record one-minute video testimonials of their personal experience with the show, its score, and its story. Those recordings will be used for the film's promotional materials. As of August 2018 nothing further has been heard of production, causing many fans to wonder if it is still to become a movie.^[29][30][31]

References