Bare: the pop opera

Directed by Ken Martin   -  Musical Direction by Tracy Gardner

Performing  7:30pm @ Your Theatre

March 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20

Special Matinee performances at 3:00pm on

March 14 & March 21

(Spoiler Alert - If you do not want to ruin the ending of the play do not read this synopsis )

Act One

Bare opens on the Feast of the Epiphany, at Mass in St. Cecilia's Boarding School. Peter, an altar boy, is dozing off and having a nightmare in which he is outed and condemned by everyone (Epiphany). After Mass, Peter encounters Jason, St. Cecilia's resident golden boy who's also his roommate and secret lover; Jason tries to assure Peter about their secret relationship (You & I). Peter asks Jason to audition for Romeo and Juliet, but Jason refuses. Afterward, by himself, Peter reflects his angst about his relationship with Jason (Role of a Lifetime). At (Auditions), Sister Chantelle, the drama teacher, is dismayed by the lack of adept actors, until Jason shows up, to the shock of all present. He and Matt, another altar boy, battle for the part of Romeo. In the end, Jason is cast as Romeo, Ivy (Peter and Jason's friend, who Matt is in love with) as Juliet, Peter as Mercutio, Matt as Tybalt, and Nadia (Jason's overweight, sharp-tongued twin sister) as the nurse. Jason attempts to console his sister, who wanted be Juliet (Plain Jane Fat Ass). Opening a belated birthday gift, the siblings discover Jason has been accepted into Notre Dame. The song was replaced with (Love, Dad) in the 2004 Off-Broadway production. Later, Matt attempts to plan a small surprise birthday for Ivy. Lucas, the school's party boy, plans a trip to a rave, bringing along ecstasy and two other drugs - K and GHB (Wonderland). Seeing a scantily-clad Ivy and its effect on Matt, Nadia decides to spend  (A Quiet Night at Home) and play her cello instead. At the rave, Peter dances with Jason and Ivy with Matt (Rolling). Peter tries to kiss Jason, who leads him outside. They argue over their secret relationship: Peter wants them to come out and make their relationship known but Jason refuses because he's afraid to be condemned and lose everything he has. Eventually, Peter and Jason kiss (Best Kept Secret); however, Matt has seen everything. The next morning, the students gather for (Confession). Matt and Peter nearly spill their respective secrets to the priest, Matt about seeing the kiss and Peter about being gay. At the rehearsal, Sister Chantelle realizes she has her work cut out for her. Nadia jokes about Ivy's promiscuity, leading to the latter to consider the impression she has on the other students (Portrait of a Girl).
Matt's little get-together becomes a huge party, due to Nadia's hand in the planning (Birthday, Bitch!). Peter accidentally eats pot brownies and begins flirting with Jason. A drunk Ivy does the same and is chosen over Peter to save face, leading Peter to storm off. Matt leaves as well when Ivy ignores his advances. Ivy asks Jason to kiss her as a birthday gift, and he reluctantly agrees (One Kiss). Matt leaves the party to sit alone with a bottle of wine, express his frustration while Peter's nearby doing the same with respect to Jason. They discover the one other, drink and comfort each other (Are You There?). At one point, a drunk and high Peter whispers to Matt the true nature of his relationship with Jason. Matt takes his leave and heads to bed while Peter has a vision of a Sister Chantelle-like Virgin Mary and two angels. She tells him that he needs to come out to his mother (911! Emergency!). At rehearsal, Romeo and Tybalt's fight scene becomes real as Matt abandons the script and tackles Jason to the ground, calling him a faggot. They are separated by an angry Sister Chantelle (Reputation Stain'd). Peter tells Jason about his vision and asks him to come home with him for Spring Break so he can come out. Jason panics, afraid of what his dad might do if he ever found out, and breaks up with Peter (Ever After).
Later, Nadia sings a song she wrote about (Spring). Peter leaves for Spring Break without a word to Jason, and Ivy shows up at Jason's dorm to apologize for her actions at her party. Jason tells her "it was cute," so Ivy goes in for more. Peter and Matt pine, respectively, for Jason and Ivy, Nadia wishes to be noticed, and Jason sleeps with Ivy, hoping that this is the right thing to do (One).

Act Two
Like the first act, the second opens in the chapel, which is decorated elaborately for Peter and Jason's wedding (Wedding Bells) but then the wedding turns into Jason and Ivy's - this is Peter's dream. Later, class ranks are posted, and Jason has achieved the valedictorian spot, once again besting Matt (In the Hallway). Ivy tells Jason that for the first time, she has fallen in love even though she's been with other boys before (Touch My Soul). Jason realizes he's still in love Peter and breaks off things with Ivy, which devastates her. Peter calls his mother, Claire, to come out but she evades the point (See Me). She hangs up; shaken and knowing what Peter wanted to say. Eventually her love for him is stronger than her religion, she accepts him (Warning). With two weeks to go before the show, Ivy misses rehearsal again, claiming to be sick. Sister Chantelle asks Ivy's inept understudy, Diane, to be Juliet. As Diane stumbles and forgets her lines, Peter takes over and for a moment, all is well as Peter dances with Jason (Pilgrim's Hands) and then Ivy shows up at the last minute. Sister Chantelle cancels rehearsal and Peter leaves. Ivy pulls Jason aside and tells him that she has something she needs to tell Jason, and he agrees to talk before the student-led rehearsal later. After the other students leave, Peter returns to pick up his things and Sister Chantelle tells Peter that she knows what's bothering him and that he is just as God wishes him to be (God Don't Make No Trash). Nadia returns to her dorm room and argues with Ivy about missing rehearsal. She assumes it's because Jason broke up with her, but Ivy reveals that she's pregnant (All Grown Up). As this goes on, Jason lies to Peter and tells him he didn't sleep with Ivy, and the two begin to reconcile. Ivy finds Jason practicing his valedictory address in the auditorium, and reveals that she is pregnant and she still loves him. Matt comes in and reveals to Ivy that the reason why Jason can't love her because he's already in love with Peter. At that point, Peter and Nadia arrive. Peter, Jason and Matt exchange heated words, and Peter admits he told Matt, and is not sorry for it. The rest of the cast, who were waiting for rehearsal to begin, are revealed to have been waiting in the auditorium, having heard everything (Promise). Everyone leaves, leaving Peter and Jason alone. Jason begs Peter for help; Peter says he tried and also leaves. Jason, distraught, reflects on his relationship with Peter, and how even through his fear he knows that it is the only thing that will comfort him (Once Upon a Time). Jason, having nowhere else to go, goes to the priest to ask if God still loves him and can forgive him. The priest ultimately condemns Jason (Cross). During rehearsal, Lucas passes out the drug orders and tells Jason that they're still cool. Jason tells Peter that he's been talking to the priest about their relationship but it was condemned (Two Households). Jason asks Peter to run away with him, but Peter refuses to run and thus tells him it's over, as he's had his fill of hiding and running away. Jason, thinking that means he's lost Peter for good, takes a lethal dose of GHB. As the school play begins, Jason again pulls Peter aside telling him that he has always loved him since they first met; Peter tells him he loves him too and if they part its not goodbye. The lovers kiss (Bare). During the show, Jason becomes increasingly disoriented. During the (Queen Mab) speech, he loses his place and begins to hallucinate. During the masked ball scene he collapses, reaching for Peter, and Peter holds him as he dies. (A Glooming Peace). Peter goes to Confession, this time about Jason's last visit. Understanding his role in Jason's death, the priest asks Peter for forgiveness, which Peter grants (Absolution). At graduation, Peter, Matt, Ivy, and Nadia wonder whether or not they could have prevented Jason's death and consider the role they played in it. The graduates all move forward into a world that will yield more questions than answers (No Voice).

 

Call 662-7591 for Reservations