BARE: but is it bare enough?

Set in a private Catholic boarding high-school, Bare is a contemporary electric, confronting LGBT pop-rock musical with examines the struggles teenagers grapple with such as sexuality, identity and growing up. At its heart is the budding romance between Peter, who is formulating a plan on how and when to come out to his mother and Jason, who wants to hide their love away in fear of losing his position in the social ladder, as well as the respect from his classmates. These star-crossed lovers, coincidently, happen to be rehearsing a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at school, a script which enhances, as well as awakens, their own inner battles with themselves and their adolescent life. Thus, it makes it relevant in our contemporary political climate, in which love is not always accepted in all of its forms and for what it truly is; love.

The piece truly is like its name; stripped, raw, real. Each character has their own vulnerability; their own problems that they're going through or choosing not to, all in the eyes of God and the church. These problems include universal themes such as drugs, death, the meaning of life, self-doubt, teenage angst, the rules of religion. However, by combining all of these issues, the story becomes hard to follow. Some characters remain undeveloped and overall, it's 'bare' nature loses all of its effect. It felt like there were too many characters whose names and/or issues were mentioned once or twice in a song and then brushed over, leaving the audience lost. When an audience is introduced to a character; they want more. They want to see the world of the character and know a bit more about them than their name. I was extremely disappointed that Jonathan's story wasn't explored as it would have been interesting to explore Jonathon's reactions to Ivy's newfound feelings for Jason.

That being said, Jordan Malone's portrayal of Ivy was stunning; a girl who is searching for a hand to hold, who thinks she can find herself through a relationship but finds that love isn't always the answer. Malone's powerhouse vocals were to die for, especially in her heart-wrenching rendition of All Grown Up which she sings to Nadia (Jason's sister), played by Sarah Wilson, whose sharp tongue brought humour to the plot. However, it was a poor directing choice to have her pretending to play the cello, especially when it was evident in the sound quality that it's coming from the band hidden behind the stage.

Both Jason Bentley and Shaun Kohlman shined as the titular roles of Jason and Shaun, with Bentley's confession to the priest and Kohlman's call to his mum both being two of the best numbers of the show. Both pieces of music didn't resort to cliché, unlike most of their star-crossed relationship, and instead, were powerful cries for help and understanding, in which they both let their guard down and in turn, let the audience in. Luke Volker must have known what he was doing as the harmonies were exceptional in each song, with Madison Lee's choreography reflecting each lyric and emotion shared by the students (which at the start was mostly angst). Another star performer was Monique Dawes as Diane; my eyes being drawn to her every move. It was clear why she was the dance captain. Jame's Shaw's impressive vocal training came through in his portrayal of the piece and Melissa Western's comic timing as Sister Chantelle had the audience in tears.

But the star of the show was Raymond Milner, whose set design was a striking metaphor for the ever-present church and the role religion plays in our daily lives. By having a cross on stage and brightly coloured mosaics in the backdrop with crosses hidden in the cracks between the designs, the Church had a 'big brother' effect, watching everything and everyone. This included when Ivy and Jason slept together, at the 'rave' and ultimately when Jason died. Whilst the set design was spectacular and very confronting, director Sue Rider could have utilised the empty space around the cross more effectively as the space around the cross was frequently forgotten, as were the audience members in the back row.

Overall, the casting was phenomenal and the creatives did a fine job at putting it on stage, it was the story that was often lacking.

Show: Bare the musical

Venue: Brisbane Powerhouse

Season: Thursday 24th of May - Sunday 3rd of June

Tickets: https://brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/2018/05/24/bare/

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