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Eight years ago, Jon Hartmere, book writer and lyricist of the cult rock musical Bare, thought the time had passed for his show's chance at an Off-Broadway commercial run.
The piece — which, in 2004, was subtitled a Pop Opera — was slated to make the leap from a developmental run at American Theatre of Actors to Dodger Stages (now New World Stages) that fall; the transfer never happened, and a wider audience — including many who had heard buzz about it or seen its earlier version in Los Angeles — never made it to the hallowed halls of St. Cecilia's Boarding School, the show's insular setting where students' agendas were, as the musical says, "Best Kept Secret."
photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN |
"Because of the timeliness of what's happening out there in the world, and because we have an author who is alive and living and present in this world, it only made sense to continue to evolve the piece so that it maintained its heart and its soul and its…guts," Arima explained while sitting in the auditorium of New World's Stage 4 — the former home of his Altar Boyz in 2005 — during a recent tech rehearsal for the show, which began previews Nov. 19 toward its Dec. 9 opening night. Hartmere added that "the core of the show is the same" although the work — originally co-created with composer Damon Intrabartolo, who is not attached to the current Off-Broadway staging — is no longer sung-through in the style of opera. "That's probably the biggest change — having more space to explore the characters," he said. "To know these characters a little bit better… you just need more room — you need more room for book scenes, and I personally just wanted to get under the hood and investigate a little bit further."
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN |
"The first time you see us in the show is complete bliss," said Jason Hite, who plays Jason, the teenage "golden boy" struggling with his sexual identity. "We're deeply in love and at Jason's lake house — kind of secluded away… It's really heartbreaking to see their relationship go through the twists and turns that any relationship, especially a young relationship, goes through. We go through the secrets, and we go through lying and arguments."
Jason, the character who once presented himself with a tough exterior, truly "bares" his heart and soul in the current revival. "Role of a Lifetime," a standout internal monologue once performed by Peter, takes on a new "Role" with Jason behind the lyric.
Arima explained, "[Jason thinks,] 'I'm falling in love with this guy named Peter, but I have to play sports, and I have to be in the locker room with a bunch of guys who are all talking about girls. I have to marry someone…' It's all of that, so when you think of 'Role of a Lifetime,' it felt [more natural]."
(Hartmere also confided that the song was originally attached to Jason in Bare's early stages.)
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN |
"The cool thing about this production, specifically for Ivy, is that they filled out her character — where she's come from," said Judd, who takes on the show's misunderstood leading lady, Ivy. Hartmere explained that re-envisioning that character as a transfer student and setting her up with Matt has justified Nadia's anger toward her.
New to the plot are the characters of Father Mike (Jerold E. Solomon) and Sister Joan (Missi Pyle), who oversee the high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. They replace similar characters from the 2004 staging — the Priest and Sister Chantelle, respectively. Arima explained, "As Jon and I and the team were working on the show, [we were] figuring out how each character serve[s] the narrative" and discovered "economical ways for us to bring [certain] characters together." With the deletion of Peter's mother, fans of the show who know the property from the studio recording or regional productions can expect Sister Joan to take on a maternal role as well.
Changes in character prompted changes in song. Tunes such as "See Me," a duet between Peter and his mother, and "A Quiet Night at Home," a heartbreaking ballad for Nadia, are no longer part of the revised edition. "I think the biggest job for me, in coming into this, is to make sure that this sounds like a cohesive score," said music supervisor Shankel, who composed new material for the show, augmenting the work of original composer Itrabartolo. "[Damon Intrabartolo] and I spent some time together… so I would know all of the things that are important to him, musically."
Although Intrabartolo is not attached to the current Off-Broadway staging, he has had multiple conversations with Shankel and Arima about the piece. Shankel added, "The heart of this is Damon and Jon. It always has been, and it always will be."
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN |
Hartmere acknowledged that social media has "completely changed the way teens interact," and Arima added that, "with literally a push of one button, you could destroy someone's life." Audiences can expect the spread of information to play a big part in the 2012 version of Bare.
However, with all of the changes, the message of Bare remains the same — discovering your true self. "The message of the show really is being yourself and the struggle that we all go through to present our authentic self to the world," said Hartmere. "How much do you lie and how much do you show? Especially in high school — it's such a time fraught with conflict. But to me, high school never ends, so I think that this struggle is something everyone can relate to."
Although Bare never moved from its developmental run to a commercial run Off-Broadway in 2004, it has finally arrived. Hartmere said, "It's really been quite a ride, and I've loved the journey…because that's really all you can control — where you are right now."
(Playbill.com staff writer Michael Gioia's work appears in the news, feature and video sections of Playbill.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PlaybillMichael.)
Watch performances from Bare's press preview, including the new songs "You Don't Know" and "Million Miles From Heaven":