Bare - Audience Member Review

Review of BARE, a musical now showing in St Martins, South Yarra (New Beat Theatre company)

Moni Lai Storz

Artistic director, The Australasian Chinese Theatre Company

What is some of the youth of Australia doing? I have my answer when I attended the gala performance of Bare. They are demonstrating their talent in a musical! How cool is that.

Bare is a fresh, youthful musical, dealing with universal themes of love, pain, loss and redemption. Its originality for me is its focus on a range of diversity issues : homosexuality, generational miscommunication, inter-ethnic empathy of minoritites and religious bigotry - played out in songs and music that made me want to tap my feet and dance. As a musical, its brilliance lies in the fact that it can handle such gigantic issues – religion, the Catholic church bigotry and redemption, homosexuality and all its attendant issues of secrecy, son-mother relationship, love triangles, jealousy and guilt, death and drugs. Two homosexual young lovers, Peter and Jason, set in a Catholic boarding school in the USA, and within this context, all the human emotions are played out. The actors without exception “lived” their roles and did not only act. They were convincing and moving. The whole show on gala night was a superb production displaying teamwork, commitment and dedication and yes, amazing talents in singing and acting not only on stage but behind. The direction, cheography and costumes were superbly professional.

...