Bare
Bare
Kofler222
Swing Joined: 2/28/15
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2Bare
Posted: 9/1/15 at 3:04am
If you search there are past threads on the subject. Especially the revival (which was pretty awful).
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
jimmycurry01
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
#3Bare
Posted: 9/1/15 at 4:46pm
I love Bare. It is a bit heavy handed at times, and occasionally feels like an after school special; however, it has some good tunes and a story that keeps you engaged through its duration.
The revival that played off-Broadway was pure garbage. Everything that made the original a decent show was butchered, and everything that was wrong with the original was amplified. It really destroyed a pretty good thing. The rewrites by Lynne Shankel and Jon Hartmere were atrocious, and it suffered from misguided direction by Stafford Arima. Thankfully this is not the version that is licensed to theatres.
#4Bare
Posted: 9/1/15 at 5:43pm
I got to see the LA Revival which has the original and best version of Bare. It has stuck with me. I hear the 2007 Studio Cast Recording all the time. As a young gay.. this story and beautiful score will always have a place in my heart. I love "Role of a Lifetime", "Bare", "Once Upon a Time", "Best Kept Secret", "Ever After", "All Grown Up", & "Queen Mab".. basically the whole score. What you hear is what you see in the actual show.
ARTc3
Broadway Star Joined: 8/5/13
#6Bare
Posted: 9/1/15 at 7:51pm
I am only responding because the original poster wrote, "Hi everyone! I'd love to read your thoughts about this show!" I am assuming negative thoughts are also warranted.
I was bored by Bare. I saw the original New York production (not the revival) and found it sophomoric and trite. Who cares? And, I'm gay. Perhaps, it was its religious tone. I remember sitting there thinking this was just awful. A tribute to internalized homophobia.
Maybe it was my age. When I saw Bare, I wasn't a teen struggling with coming out angst. In fact, desperately wanting "gay art" I often found myself watching Logo and renting off of Netflixs the latest gay themed movies. I think I reached my saturation point for young gay men self-loathing. What a bore.
Just my thoughts...
ARTc3 formerly ARTc. Actually been a poster since 2004. My name isn't Art. Drop the "3" and say the signature and you'll understand.
Ranger Tom
Leading Actor Joined: 7/6/14
#8Bare
Posted: 9/2/15 at 2:30pm
I adore it (the original-- not the horrific "revisal"
. Sure it's heavy-handed in some spots, but I can honestly say, having been educated in Catholic schools, it is incredibly true to my experience (and other gay Catholic kids I know).
It's very successful in a few areas. It was "It Gets Better" before there was "It Gets Better." Also, it does show the divide within rank and file Catholics. I was taught by priests and nuns who preached love, acceptance, and "You were born this way!" But I was also taught by priests and nuns who preached conversion, judgement, and "It's your cross to bear!" Bare captures that perfectly.
"I shall stay until the wind changes."
#9Bare
Posted: 9/2/15 at 4:30pm
The "revival" was not really a revival. The creators said that the original was not the finished product, so to speak. I spoke with Damon after a performance of the 1st production and I remember him telling me the show was not done and they still wanted to make changes to it.
Saw both and enjoyed both. Missed a few things from the 1st production I wish they had kept in though.
Just give the world Love.
#10Bare
Posted: 9/2/15 at 7:53pm
"I spoke with Damon after a performance of the 1st production and I remember him telling me the show was not done and they still wanted to make changes to it. "
And yet, Damon had no interest in working on the new version--he gave it his blessing, I've read, but that's it.
Updated On: 9/2/15 at 07:53 PM
AwesomeDanny
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/30/09
ARTc3
Broadway Star Joined: 8/5/13
#16Bare
Posted: 9/3/15 at 2:07pm
Again, it shows the juxtaposition within the Catholic Church. Yes it didn't get better for one of the main characters, but the overall "point" of the entire show is "Love is love and while things might be rough now, there are people love and accept you for who you are, and God will always have your back because he made you just the way you are."
"I shall stay until the wind changes."
