Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Theater Review: Bare

By John Garcia of The Column

Raging hormones, peer pressure, trying to get into the right college, the popular crowd versus the geeks, experimentation with illegal substances, underage drinking, religion, parents who demand so much - no matter the price. Oh and again, hormones overtaking your body like invasion of the body snatchers.

Yea, high school was a piece of cake.

All the above are the elements that make up Bare: A Pop Opera, now receiving its Southwest premiere at Uptown Players. As it states in its title, this is completely sung through. There have been other "sung through" musicals within the canons of history. Past title that immediately comes to mind is Jesus Christ Superstar. Recent examples are Rent and Spring Awakening. But what separates these from Bare is that they had heart pounding, head bouncing, pulsating, muscular music layered in grinding guitar licks, electrifying beats, and songs that you remember forever. Alas, the same cannot be said of Bare.

Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Harmere Jr.'s score lacks solid, sure fire, memorable songs. From a staggering list of 36 songs, only a handful rise to the surface for repeat hearings. The melodies at time stay stuck in neutral, you can hear the music struggle to find its voice, but somehow stay confined, while its wheels rotate at furious speed, but going nowhere.

Push my head into the lockers, but I like my musicals to have big crescendos of soaring vocals and robust orchestrations that reaches up to the heavens in a loud combination of voice and music. For Bare, less than three songs end that way. I am not saying that every song in a musical has to end with a loud bang -- but let's be honest here -- when does the audience not love a big ole number ending in a voice hitting the back of the theater while the music fills the room? While many of the songs in Bare are not "hits" per se, there are some that are quite lovely, soothing, and memorable.

The book meanwhile is workable, if not a tad predictable. You could tell within the lyrics and the plot itself that you could see where some subplots were heading towards. I mean the kids put on Romeo & Juliet, talk about a dead giveaway. There are loose ends that are left without clear answers, only adding to the frustration towards the book. But there are some baffling questions within the book that I wish had been explained.

For example, how on earth did the kid with the drugs know to give one of the leads "poison"? Wouldn't that have been a red flare for all to see? If the party drug was fatal the whole time, why didn't others die? Some get sick at a rave -but not die - buy why not? The writers also lose a wonderful dramatic scene, which would have been a confrontation between father and son. Think of the possibilities there. Just another example of the book's weakness.

Photo by Mike Morgan

Visually Uptown once again brings a trio of outstanding designers to create a sumptuous production. Andy Redmon's scenic design is a mixture of mini-geometric platforms, ramps, and metal skeletal framing the back. What I particularly liked was Redmon's use of metal material that serves as coverings underneath the platforms. But then to allow light to shine through -- that really looks terrific from the audience. However, it reminded me of the tiny screen window in a confession booth that you talk through to the priest (yes-I'm Catholic). When was the last time you found subtext in a scenic design?

Jason Foster's lighting is gorgeous, glowing, and dazzling. Gobos and special lighting units splatter the stage in rich colors. But that exquisite gobo of a lavender stain glass window of a church is sublime. I particularly liked the use of using harsh reds bathing the students when they were confessing. Ah, more subtext.

Cheryl Denson's direction is glorious to say the least. The characters could have so easily been played with "stock characterization" auras, but thankfully Denson steers her cast far away from those traps. The combination of design elements and staging created scenes that truly looked like scenes from a film. Denson's blocking serves purpose, understanding, and great subtext throughout the show. I can't even remember the last time that blocking was so layered in subtext that helped override the uneven score.

The Bare cast contains not one weak performance -- not one. Every single performer is perfectly cast. It is one of the best unified casts I have observed. Denson has achieved a rare feat as a director -- she found and cast the best company for a musical, no matter the size of the role.

Photo by Mike Morgan

Each ensemble member works as hard as the principals, and it shows in abundance on stage. This unique and gifted group includes Beth Albright (who I did not even recognize for a good twenty minutes because of her Goth make-up -- now that's character commitment); Charnell R. Bratton, Tyler Donahue, Clayton Shane Farris, Amber Nicole Guest, Hannah Guillory, and Clayton Younkin. Remember those names because they are all terrific performers and work like a solid, well-oiled machine.

Kayla Carlyle portrays "Ivy", a hot blonde bombshell with overtones of Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan (in their early days, not the wacko ones that we see in the tabloids now). It would have been too easy for Carlyle to fall into the obvious character cutout that makes up the role, but Ms. Carlyle completely avoids it. Yes, she's hot, but she is a girl whose love is not returned. Her crush is the Jock who avoids her, until one drunken night after a rave. But then she is faced with a very adult situation. So watch her confusion, anger, and pain displayed in naked realism with her solo "All Grown Up". The girl devours the lyrics with gut wrenching honesty that left the audience speechless.

Natalie King is the only comic relief within the show, and thank god for that. With all the angst and pain on stage, it's nice to have some laughs within the dramatic elements. She has two great songs to display that radiant talent, "911 Emergency" and "God Don't Make No Trash". She will leave you in stitches!

Jeff Kinman glows as the Priest (his best work appears in the numbers "Cross" and "Absolution"); while Darius Anthony Robinson delivers a deeply moving performance as "Matt", whose affections are rejected.

If there was one song that had the audience sniffling and reaching for the Kleenex, it is the one sung by powerhouse Sara Shelby Martin as "Claire" titled "Warning". The lyrics are perfection here, but Ms. Martin's gripping performance is what makes the song so difficult to observe. To see a mother explain her pain, loss, and devastation of a son coming out hit many in the audience.

Photo by Mike Morgan

Ms. Martin shows new, undiscovered depth within her talent. Usually she is cast in those bigger than life roles, but here she displays a quiet, loving, and heartbreaking character that hits so close to home. I was not seeing Ms. Martin, but an honest-to-god mother exposing her raw, honest pain of having a gay son. She truly delivers the best performance of her life in this production of Bare. I was constantly wiping tears from my face because of her resplendent performance, as were many others in the house.

Another terrific performance that hit a little too close to home was provided by Liz Woodcock as "Nadia", the heavyset student who despises the thin blonde beauty Ivy. I was a fat kid all through elementary and high school. So watching Nadia go through what she went through, well I had a massive lump in my throat from not crying like a baby. Ms. Woodcock has some of the best numbers of the show, such as "Plain Jane Fat A**"; the exquisite "A Quiet Night at Home"; and "Spring". A beautiful girl with expressive eyes wears her anger and seething hatred like scars from a war that she was hell bent on winning.

Sean Patrick Henry portrays "Peter", the shy kid who is completely in love with the jock, "Jason". Henry's vocals shower the audience like soft cotton. Mr. Henry understands respect in regards of not "stereotyping" the character. He gives the role great strength, compassion, and truth. Henry possesses a marvelous Tenor voice that glides through the score beautifully. His characterization is engrossing through and through, never once subsiding into false pretense. He is simply exceptional in this production.

If there is one element in reviewing theater that I enjoy the most, it is watching an actor I've seen before create a performance that I had never seen before within themselves. That he or she is so brilliant, that I completely forgot who they are backstage, but instead believing completely into the character -- well that's talent. Pure talent. And that is what Joshua Doss does in his magnificent portrayal of "Jason". It is his performance that stays with you way beyond the curtain call.

Photo by Mike Morgan

Doss currently is a double nominee in this year's Column Awards (one for Best Actor in Tick Tick Boom!, and another for portraying "Jigger" in Carousel). I saw both productions and thoroughly enjoyed his work in both them, but I was not prepared at all to see such a brutal, extraordinary, complex, heartbreaking performance from this talented thespian. His detail to the naked raw emotions and complexity that frame "Jason" is jaw-droppingly amazing.

"Jason" easily could have lost the audience's respect because he is such a jerk and blowhard towards both Ivy and Peter, but thanks to Doss's work here, he instead wins the audience's compassion. The best number of the night is provided by Doss titled "Once Upon A Time". As he exposes his pain, loss of love, and confusion, his eyes reflect so much heartache as tears roll down his face. He begs God to help him. There were many in the audience constantly wiping their eyes during this song.

But then when Jason goes to confess and plead to the priest for help and understanding in the song "Cross", it was powerful and graphically honest to watch. Doss's voice cracks as he tries to put in words his pain, tears pouring from his eyes. My god, who has not been there before in their own lives? I'll admit it; I was an emotional wreck in my seat. It was this song and Doss's work that showed us this was no longer a musical, but reality hitting home like a slap in the face with a granite hand. Not once did I think of this being an actor playing a role, but instead a real life "Jason" ripping his heart out exposing his pain to God. Doss delivers a splendid performance.

The chemistry between Henry and Doss is vivid, honest, sensual, and a bit erotic if I say so myself. There was not a hint from either actor that they were uncomfortable with the physical affections for each other. That's commitment to the role. I tell you what; these two had more intense chemistry than some other couples in past musicals that I have seen.

Both tenors blend sublime vocals to fashion lavish singing. Examples of this include "Bare" and "Ever After" (another favorite song of the night).

Bare does lack (for the most part) a score that does not serve well its book. There are some glowing numbers sprinkled here and there, but just isn't up to par to past Rock/Pop scores.

Nonetheless, it is the powerful performances from its cast that make Bare such a riveting, engrossing, and impressive production. Bare can be added to Uptown Players' long line of fantastic hits. It is a gut wrenching, difficult, emotionally dynamic production that will have you wiping tears off your face as the lights come up. You will regret it if you miss Bare.

But one strong warning: There will be scenes and moments within the musical that will bring you back to some of the most difficult times of your life. This is art bringing some tough, personal moments to emotionally graphic reality. But for me, that is one of the things that I love so much about theater -- it recreates life, both good and bad and when it's done with such dignity and truth, it is so worth the tears. Bare is such a production.

GRADE: A

The show runs through March 16, 2008. For tickets, call 214-219-2718 or purchase online.

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