GenQ

SHooSH! Productions latest cracker of a show is the little known (to the general public, that is), musical (or pop opera as it was formerly known), Bare.
Bare is one of the most intimate experiences you could have in the theatre. With its Rent-esque rock showtunes to its clever script, it will have you coming back to St Cecilia's over and over again.

The show centres on Peter (Nicholas Kong) and Jason (Chris Buchanan), who are room mates (and boyfriends behind closed doors). It deals with Peters struggle to come out to his mother, Claire (Natasha Bassett), Jason's relationship with his sister, Nadia (Dior Deumer), and the love triangle that forms between Jason, Ivy (Elethea Sartorelli) and her boyfriend, Matt (Tyson Legg).

As mentioned before, the songs are standout here, which they need to be as they form most of the show. Standout moments included "You and I" sung by Peter and Jason, a cheeky number in which we learn that their unrequited love happens behind closed doors. Peter's heart-wrenching "See Me" in which he attempts to come out to his mother via the telephone, Nadia's "Plain Jane Fat Ass" is sung by Dior Deumer with great bite and satire, in which we learn that Nadia's cynicsm is her defence mechanism to deflect the attention from her weight. Bec McGuinness as Sister Chantelle brought the house down with "God Don't Make No Trash." It's hard to pinpoint, but Bec gives us a white girl channelling the gospel greats, be it Aretha or Etta... who knows? But it's amazing!
Elethea Sartorelli stole the show with her rendition of the eleven o'clock number, "All Grown Up." Her rendition was both heartwrenching and determined, as we learn that through some prickly circumstances, Ivy has fallen pregnant at the age of just 17. It's nice to hear a leading lady with such a rock belt on her!
The rest of the cast were in fine voice also, many of them having starred in shows previously.

This show was absolutely perfect for the intimacy at the Cromwell Road Theatre in South Yarra. The beautiful 'stained glass leadlight' which forms the centrepiece of the set design did not feel distracting at all, and the two 'confessionals' at either side formed many purposes, which gave the space a depth which is hard to do in the confines of a black-box theatre. It was nice to see such tight blocking in this space, as it can sometimes be difficult to do so. The intimacy also added to the intensity of  the final moments of the show, which are painfully beautiful and barely leave a dry eye.

The one glitch, which one would have to put down to opening night jitters, is that the sound balance from the band overpowered the action onstage at times, which drowned out alot of the sung-through dialogue.

This production is one for co-directors Nathan Firmin and Brad Fischer to be proud of. It's a shame that it's such a short season, as this reviewer is returning for a second stay at Cecilia's!

Tags: bare, Musical