Mercury Players Theatre's BARE Begins Today

Mercury Players Theatre, a resident Participating Theatre Company of the Bartell Theatre, announces "Bare: A Pop Musical" running today, March 20 - April 4, 2015 on the upstairs Drury stage at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin Street in Madison. The show is a co-production with OUT!Cast Theatre and is appropriate for people ages 16 and older.

Similar to "Rent" or "Spring Awakening", "Bare" is a contemporary rock musical set in a Catholic High School with teens addressing issues of sexuality, drug abuse, teen pregnancy and teen suicide. The plot is a love triangle between two boys at the school secretly in love with each other. One is in denial about being gay and becomes sexually involved with a girl at the school who's struggling with her own secrets. Issues of body images and religious faith also are addressed. The show originally opened in Los Angeles and an Off-Broadway production closed in New York in 2014.

The production is being mounted with the same creative team that produced last season's "Xanadu" which was picked as the Best Overall Production of the Year at last summer's Bartell Theatre Awards. Director Steve Noll says "the themes are heavy but the music and our singers keep the show upbeat and energetic. Fans of other serious shows like Les Miserables will certainly find something to enjoy."

"Bare: A Pop Musical" has a cast of 16 and a 5-person live band onstage. This will be the first show to fully utilize the new sound system installed last fall in the Bartell's Drury Theatre as the result of a donation from the Overture Center for the Arts as well a grant from the Madison Community Foundation. The production is being made possible with a grant from New Harvest Foundation to help support arts in the LGBTQ community.

"Bare: A Pop Musical" plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Thursdays at 7:30pm and Sunday March 29 at 4pm. The production is recommended for ages 16 and older. All tickets are $20 general admission seating. Purchase tickets online on the new Bartell website:www.BartellTheatre.org, at the Bartell Box Office (open Tuesday-Friday 2pm-6pm) or by calling the Bartell Box Office at 608-661-9696.

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