Bare

Bare, a pop-rock musical of teenage-angst and gay love is currently having its Queensland premiere as part of Brisbane Powerhouse’s Festival of Queer Arts and Culture – Melt. The show, which first saw the light of day in Los Angeles in 2000, most recently played a short Off-Broadway stint in 2012 and has since become a cult favourite.

The story follows a group of high-school students at a Catholic boarding school who battle coming-to-terms with their faith and sexuality, in particular Peter and Jason who have fallen in love. Peter wants to come out, but Jason, the school jock, fears the negative effect it will have on his life. Stories of a high-school nerd and the school jock falling in love are not new (think Tommy Murphy’s Holding the Man), but what it interesting it to look at this piece twenty years after in was written in the light of sexual equality following last year’s legalising of same-sex marriage.

Brilliant voices, tight direction, and snappy choreography, deliver a production that continually punches above its weight. And it needed to because the libretto is weak and often descends into soap-opera land. Shaun Kohlman played Peter’s anguish with touching believability and his soaring vocal register often thrilled likewise Jason Bentley’s Jason was awash with Catholic guilt. Their love scenes delivered genuine feeling, with “Best Kept Secret” a heartfelt duet.

Melissa Western continually scored points with a soul-sister version of “God Don’t Make No Trash”, and an outrageous turn as the Virgin Mary, while Jenny Woodward, moonlighting from her day job as ABC weather presenter, essayed motherly conflict and acceptance with warmth as Claire. Jordan Malone’s Ivy, the girl who wants to bed Jason, also nailed her vocals, as did Jonathan Hickey as Matt, and Sarah Whalen as Nadia.

Raymond Milner’s set ingeniously suggested an ecclesiastical setting by panels of assorted coloured glass shapes with a cross of white-hot light, Luke Volker’s 7-piece band includes cello which adds invention to the orchestrations, while Sue Rider’s direction had exceptional stamped all over it.

Peter Pinne