Spoiler alert:
This angst-ridden tale of two gay Catholic school boys who are in love ends in tragedy. Perhaps it's because the show was written back in the 90s when all the gay community got to see of themselves were stories with tragic endings. But in 2019, I'm not sure if this is the show that we need right now. I definitely give thanks to the Eternal Theatre Collective for reviving this, as it's a show I had been wanting to see for a long time now and am glad I finally had the chance to do so.
The production itself had some snafus on the night I was there, mainly to do with sound. Set in the Unitarian Church on 49th and Oak, the space itself is a neat venue to go see a show. I don't know much about acoustics but I do know that I was lost most of the time because I couldn't quite hear what the actors were saying or singing.
Plus, the direction of the show had the actors all over the space, which sometimes made it difficult to follow who was saying what and where should our focus be? Should it be on the soloist singing about something important, or should we be watching the two people having sex on the bench beside us? Or do we look out the window at the teens who are partying? I didn't find that having those extra tidbits really added much to the show, and rather, found it all quite distracting.
Performance wise, there are definite gems here worthy of mention. Caleb Lagayan as Peter shows off his powerhouse potential. He brings it all to his performance even when his microphone slips off and dangles from his ear for a good 20 minutes. He remains dedicated to his character and his voice is likely the best out of the entire group. Katrina Teitz and Ashlyn Tegos also bring depth and devotion to their roles as Ivy and Nadia, respectively.
Bare is on now until Saturday June 8th. Tickets available here.
