BARE Reviews

[eperkins]

The Bare reviews are coming in

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/off-broadway-musical-bares-gay-teen-angst-article-1.1217350

http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/12-2012/bare_63911.html

http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/theater-review-bare-1-star-1.4315926

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/romeo_musical_poisonous_d7fXssdW8WI46arJK1u9cL

[LYLS3637]

Entertainment Weekly: B-

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20655341,00.html

[eperkins]

I haven't seen The New York Times yet...

[tobiasragg]

It was tepid at best.

http://t.co/Nx2PhZ61

[tobiasragg]

Now here's my question: I know nothing about BARE except for the basic plot (never seen or heard it before) but I'll be in the city Jan 15-22 for some interviews and meetings. Do I check it out or pass for something a bit more interesting?

[defyingravity11]

I would say pass and watch the original online.

[eperkins]

There are a lot of better shows currently playing, so Bare is an easy miss on that score.

[dramamama611]

I didn't care for show and agree with much of what the reviews have said, but AMNY is HARSH.

[everythingtaboo]

go see it, tobiasragg. you can get a ticket for cheap, you can drink in your seat, and it's a night out. give it a shot!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Michael Arden is getting great reviews.

[LYLS3637]

AMNY is too hard on the cast. It is correct in some respects, especially...

"...The original production of "Bare," which featured an unforgettable performance by Michael Arden... Although still in a raw state, it was an extremely heartfelt and moving work with excellent songs. Eight years later, "Bare" has finally opened Off-Broadway... But this is not the same show... Much of Jon Hartmere and Damon Intrabartolo's original score has been replaced with inferior new material by Hartmere and Lynne Shankel. The few remaining original songs have been altered beyond recognition."

[jdrye222]

Another example of the overrated Stafford Arima taking any heart out of something.

I did not love BARE when it played in 2004, but it was still clearly in workshop mode at that time... Kristin Hanggi had yet to do ROCK OF AGES, and everyone in it seemed to be doing it for the heart of it.... Also, it was a different time (even though it was only 8 years ago).

[THDavis]

Yikes, AMNY's review was a bit rough. To say the truth hurts is an understatement.

[Kad]

Yikes, the Times didn't even deign to send one of their top-tier critics.

[zerose]

The NYTimes, of all things, praises the set??? The set where a wall swings out to poorly represent a church confessional, where two important scenes take place. The set where passing scenes of the lead characters' interactions take place on the second level but are partially obscured by the cutout windows because of varying sightlines in this wide theater. The set with the ugly, clunky moving platform, and the rolling staircase stolen from Next To Normal.

[rochisny]

Here's Variety's
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117948900.html?cmpid=RSS|Reviews|LegitReviews

As someone who liked the show, I'm glad to see this!

[uncageg]

I think the reviewer for AMNY is one of those people who went in already upset over the changes and wasn't willing to give it a chance even before seeing it. After I read that he saw it several times, I knew how the review was going to go.

[CATSNYrevival]

"Another example of the overrated Stafford Arima taking any heart out of something."

^This.

Although, I do think the text for Carrie was improved under his direction, but Bare didn't need such drastic changes.

[eperkins]

I agree that although Bare definitely needed some changes, they went overboard with this production, introducing brand new problems that didn't exist before.

[CukorLover]

From VARIETY:
"Although "Bare" suffers from too-long a first half -- and the ho-hum MTV-style choreography from Travis Wall doesn't help ..."

I guess Arima's risk ( by taking on the overrated and inexperienced Travis Wall ) didn't payoff like he thought it would.

[CurtainPullDowner]

That VARIETY reviewer is so 1980,
MTV? Should be SYTYCD.

How is Stafford, my friend, over-rated?

[newintown]

"How is Stafford, my friend, over-rated?"

I agree, I don't think he's over-rated. No one actually thinks he's good, he's just the director you get when your first through fifth choices don't work out.

On another matter - 21 responses in a week for this thread is pretty good evidence that practically no one cares about Bare very much.

[LYLS3637]

newintown- I think people still care about Bare. They may not care about this production, but how else would a show that ran for one month at the ATA back in 2004 develop such a vocal (albeit small) following?

[newintown]

Your use of the word "small" is correct; similar to my phrase "practically no one."

It's just one of many shows that needs to pass into well-deserved oblivion (like Yank); a handful of extremely vocal enthusiasts are just not enough to convince larger audiences that the work is actually good.

[eperkins]

Are there people who actually like Yank? I couldn't believe it when I heard there was talk of moving it to Broadway. That would have rivaled Scandalous, IMHO. Yank is not only not ready for prime time, it probably should be given up on entirely. I think Bare is a far better show.

[boggess]

Legitimate question- and I didn't want to start a new thread to ask- but why is Stafford in a lot of the promo/cast pictures? None of the other members of the creative team are in the pictures. He was in the No H8 campaign pics and is front and center in an NY Times pic, among others. Do other shows do this and I'm just completely missing it? Is there some reason why?