Bare?

Bare has never been on Broadway: it's played in NYC in off-Broadway houses twice, once in 2004 and once again in 2012. For the revival, the show underwent some major changes, with the addition of some songs, deletion of others and changes in others (such as giving Jason the number 'Role of a Lifetime', with many lyric changes): it was now called 'bare: the musical' (the 2004 version was 'bare: a pop opera' ). If I remember correctly, it didn't do well in 2012, running from late November (previews) to early February (2013). I remember there were plans for a cast recording (they announced it on their website), but either it was never recorded or it has never been released.

The composer died a few months after the revival closed. A few weeks after his death, Bare played in LA again, but this time the production was 'bare: a pop opera', without all the changes they'd made for the revival. I don't know if it's possible to access or perform the new material, but I'd certainly like to rewatch it. I also don't think there's a definitive version of the show: the composer was obviously bothered enough to (allow others to) change the material, but people were bothered enough with the changes to produce the 2004 version rather than the updated version.

Personally, I love the show. I think the music is very good and the plot is very dear and personal to me. The lyrics -and the plot, for that matter- can be a bit too dramatic, looking like a teen soap opera towards the end of Act 2, but I think that makes for some very emotional moments. My first exposure to it was the 2012 revival, which I rather liked. Many people loved it, specially those who were first exposed to the material through that production. However, many people -including loyal fans who'd loved and followed the show for years- disliked it, mostly because of the changes. I got the 2007 cast recording and have played it many times, growing to really love this show. That's precisely why I'd love to revisit the 2012 material; I imagine I'd watch it differently now that I've been a fan of it for years.

Updated On: 11/11/17 at 12:01 AM

Had no clue the new stuff was recorded. Just downloaded the album. I was lucky enough to see and get the sampler from the Original 2004 cast from the composer, Damon. He also sent me the full recording that came out.

Damon gave his blessing to the team on the revival. My understanding is that he kind of wanted to move on. He did go and help out with a regional production of the show, I think in Arizona, a while before he passed.

I enjoyed the revival. I know a lot of people didn't due to the changes. But my understanding is that they had planned on making changes to the show. It was slated to open at Dodger Stages after its limited run in 2004 but never opened. I remember walking past Dodger Stages and seeing the signage for the show.

Updated On: 6/15/19 at 11:46 AM

My first exposure to Bare was a developmental reading a few years before the revival happened. It had an amazing cast: Andy Mientus, Zak Resnick, Carrie Manolakos, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, Gerard Canonico... I think Andy in particular really wanted to go with the show Off-Broadway, but it happened right when he booked Smash.

I wept profusely that first time I heard them go through the full show. Unfortunately, a subsequent reading and then the final product with the revival seemed to drift farther away from the parts of the show that spoke so strongly to me. This far out, it's hard for me to remember the specifics, but I remember a drift away from the personal, religious conflict that made the whole story feel a bit more generic and less specific. In the first reading I saw, Peter's question of whether or not he was an abomination, of his personal relationship with God and what his sexuality really meant in that context, was a lot more prevalent, and I found it very affecting.