BARE - Playlovers

Nothing beats a good musical tragedy, in my opinion. I love the roller coaster ride and even though I spent the last 10 minutes of the show choking on a lump in my throat and tears pouring down my cheeks, it was a most entertaining few hours of my life. I would actually pay to see it again before it closes on Saturday December 6^th.

There were probably about 100 people in the house when I saw the show last night (Friday 21/11) and we were treated to a relatively new (debuted in 2000) “pop musical”. I would probably classify it more as a rock opera, but however you tag it, the music was contemporary and there was extremely little spoken dialogue.

Without giving too much of the plot away, I will say that the themes may be considered by some to be confronting. For example, religion, sexuality and drug use. However, they were so well integrated, I didn’t feel beaten about the head with the “Listen! THIS is our message to society” stick.  I think it’s a really well written show, the characters being vehicles of expression for the themes to be explored in a multi-faceted way. Rather than having one view thrust in your face, we were able to consider the journey from a number of perspectives.

Much credit must be given to the musical direction team of Andrew Dobosz and Jacob Latter as well as the live band who were tight for the duration. The underscoring was atmospheric and the orchestration of the 24 musical numbers was just beautiful. Hackett Hall is a venue that certainly holds some challenges for both performers and musicians alike, but most technical issues mentioned in earlier reviews of this production have been all but ironed out. Together with the sound operation team, the skilled band did a very good job to maintain a good balance of accompaniment.

The stage was beautifully utilised to represent different locations, set changes were quick and mostly seamless, the lighting was suitably dark and the occasional VERY quick costume change was handled efficiently by the actors. On the whole (aside from someone being slightly over zealous with the smoke machine) the technical aspects that contributed so greatly to the overall effect of the show were invisible. Well done.

The casting was highly appropriate. Most actors were in their early 20s, meaning they had the maturity and experience to deal with the intensity of the subject matter and yet the youth and enthusiasm to convincingly represent seniors in high school. The story is set in the USA but accents were used by the mostly Australian cast so well that it was only when one actor slipped a little toward the end of the second act that I even remembered they weren’t natural.

From the opening number “Epiphany”, sung in Latin, it was evident that this ensemble was strong. The voices were clear and the harmonies were tight.

Tyler Jones and Joshua Brant in the lead male roles of Peter and Jason respectively, gave convincing and brave performances. Both actors are very strong vocally and handled the difficult ranges of their numerous songs with great skill. They delivered their scenes with emotional conviction, trust and a believable chemistry. Their relationship was tender and passionate yet fiery and explosive, and on the whole an authentic representation of two young lovers.

Gemma Sharpe (Ivy) seemed to need a little time to warm up last night, but found her feet in her sweet seduction of Jason in “One”. By the time she reached her heart wrenching solo number “All Grown Up” in the second act she was well and truly hot. Her performance was passionate and angry but finally revealed her feelings of being a scared and used little girl. This was probably her strongest moment in the show.

Rebecca Griffiths (Nadia) – what a star performance! At first I had my doubts though. I thought Rebecca was too slim; I didn’t buy into her “Plain Jane Fat Ass” story but figured she was still well cast for her captivating voice and her hilarious comic timing. However, discussions at interval opened me up to the idea that the (not only teen angst) issue of body image can often be a distorted reality rather than a true reflection. With this new perspective in mind I could see that Rebecca was brilliant, and perfectly cast in the role.

The characters Nadia and Jason are twins. Although this was not a relationship explored in great depth, the moments the two shared on stage were exquisite, tender and just enough.

David Gray played Matt (Ivy’s rejected suitor) with a humble, manly and quiet dignity. His character’s perspective was easy to empathise with and his scene with Peter “Are you there” was delivered wonderfully.

One highlight was the rap number “Wonderland”. This could so easily have been lame. But with great direction, choreography and superb delivery by Charles McComb, it was.......umm ….. (what do the kids say these days…..?) It was SIK? ;)

Rhoda Lopez expertly played the “I tell it like it is, and don’t take no crap” nun Sr Chantelle who had the task of casting and rehearsing the kids for their school play of Romeo and Juliet. This sub plot was an appropriate back drop to the real drama unfolding in the characters' lives. Rhoda is evidently an experienced performer and natural actress.  She owned her scenes and when joined by her sexy, funky, back up singing “angels with attitude”, she stopped the show with “911 Emergency” and “God don’t make no trash”. 

In a small, yet vital role as Peter’s mum, Cynthia Fenton came through with all the skill, style and sensitivity that one would expect from such an accomplished and experienced performer. Always a pleasure to watch.

This production was truly entertaining, thought provoking and engaging. On stage, as life imitated art in the closing scenes of the show, my heart broke in empathy for the real people that these characters represented.