Bare with me..."bare" in Sacramento, CA!

I mentioned this briefly in the Broadway board, but I wanted to spread the word...

You may have heard of the upcoming San Francisco production of "bare" in 2009. Well, if you're in the area and don't want to wait until 2009, Sacramento has the jump on them. I'll be playing the Priest in a production of "bare" produced by Artistic Differences opening tomorrow night! We were recently honored by getting the cover of Outword, a West Coast LGBT magaine. We have an excellent cast and a killer band...so come see us. More info at the theatre's website, www.artisticdifferences.net.

Thanks! Here's another taste...

Great news! break a leg!

---

More, since it's a slow day at work.

Thanks! I think it's pretty neat too. Our stage manager is also a photographer.

i'm going tonight with a friend! yay, can't wait!

---

ahh, i just got back.

this was the first time i saw it live. i must say, i had an amazing time. it was such a small, cute little space, and they really did such a great job with barely any props and set. and the acting was spot on. i have never cried at a show before. even when the material had people sniffling behind me. and though i have heard the recording a million times and totally knew what was coming, i had glistening eyes at the end of the show. i just couldn't help it! peter looked and sounded so heartbroken, and nadia... ivy. man, it was emotional. and i NEVER tear up at shows. so that meant something =]

great acting, beautiful vocals. it was a great show. mother's younger bro, you guys have done an amazing job with the show!

bahahhaha i have more friends i am going to drag to see it =]

---

House was almost sold out.

Hi all! We had a wonderful opening night last night, and I VERY much appreciate the kind words. There were some little technical glitches of course (hey, it's opening night), but we were all so happy with it.

Yes, the weather in Sacramento is hot this time of year, but they really do their best to cool the space down before the show. Actually, the house is the coolest place in the whole building (and I'm including the lobby and dressing rooms). But, dress informally for the temperature. If anyone remembers the original Music Circus tent here in town, just know that it's nowhere near THAT bad.

Thanks again for the buzz, guys. I'll be sure to pass this thread along to the non-BWW cast members, and post any "official" reviews we get.

Excelsior!

Saw the show last night! It was FANTASTIC! Here is my review.

GO SEE BARE!!!!

It's very rare for me to walk away from a show a blubbering mess, but that is exactly how I left bare last night. I couldn't speak by the time it was over I was so moved by this show. Bare takes you on a heartbreaking journey that, by its conclusion, will leave you emotionally exhausted. At the same time, the show sends a strong message about being true to one's self and reminds us how important family and friends are in our lives.

I was most impressed with the talent of the cast in this show. Never before have I seen such a talented group of people (and I have seen A LOT of theater and have worked every summer at Music Circus for the past 11 years). Lucas Blair as Peter will lead you on an emotional rollercoaster like none you have experienced. He is a very talented young actor and delivers a strong, emotional performance with magnificent vocals. Kelly Daniells as Ivy is fantastic and has a belt on her like I have never heard. Her "All Grown Up" was sheer perfection. Joelle Wirth's Nadia is both funny and sad at the same time and is impressively performed. Ian Cullity as Jason delivers some of the strongest acting and most demanding vocals in the show with great sincerity. In the "adult" cast, Natasha Greer provides some sensational comic relief as the hysterical Sister Chantelle and both Scott Martin (Priest) and Maggie Hollinbeck (Claire) manage to make their supporting roles very memorable with strong performances. The ensemble works their butts off. Every single one of them has a very specific character skillfully directed by Kevin Caravalho. Kevin's attention to detail is something that is rarely seen on stage and you can tell he put his heart and soul into this project. Gino Platina's choreography is magnificent. From soft, sweet ballet to dancing at the rave, he knows how to make actors move without making it look stagy.

Artistic Differences is presenting a truly remarkable production with bare. I would suggest getting your tickets ASAP as I am sure it will become the hardest ticket in town to get very soon.

i'm going again next weekend. either thursday or friday, possibly both.
i still have a buzz from thursday night.

i decided to list a few things i loved about my favorite cast members. a little more in depth than my other review .

joelle was a wonderful nadia. i absolutely loved the spunkiness she brought to nadia, not having her overly bitter. little things like the way she did the playful little body movement and facial expression when she tells jason, "i'd rule out calling dad." so cute.

kelly as ivy. she completely changed my picture of ivy. her ivy was less of a bitch and more of a girl who is just so lonely and wants jason to love her the way she loves him. in the recording, i don't empathize with ivy so much. with kelly's ivy, i do. and, as priorly said, her "all grown up" blew out the roof.

lucas as peter. watching him from the time jason dies and onwards made me want to run up and give him a big hug. and it also made me literally shed some tears. his "absolution" was... words cannot describe it. he gave a brilliant performance.

ian as jason. "cross." wow. kind of speechless. not only did he have some amazing vocals, he delivered such a great performance. you could just feel jason's world fall apart after everything gets out. it was like a switch was flipped and ian had a different face for the rest of the show.

ben as alan. his character was so incredibly adorable. through the recording i had no idea who alan was, but ben made him one of the most memorable things about the show for me. everything from the very beginning of the show when he's practicing strutting over to ivy to ask her out to when he gets kissed and then has to run from (zach?). a great performance and very funny.

the rest of the cast was amazing also. there were so many incredible voices in the ensemble. it was just a wonderful production overall. when i see it again i'll remember more things i'd love to say.

---

Updated On: 8/3/08 at 04:41 AM

bare is a hit! Here is the review from the Sacramento Bee:

http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/story/1129981.html

"If there's any justice in theater, "bare" should become one of the hottest tickets in town."

Updated On: 8/4/08 at 09:34 AM

Wahoooo!! Congrats to my bare peeps!