I saw bare at Ateneo last night. Kaine and I sat in the front row, because we are complete bare-tards.

Summary I gave to one of my friends from AME: It's a musical about 2 gay high school students and their straight friends. XD

I am no good at summaries. Go here. [Warning: If you don't want spoilers, don't read the synopsis on Wikipedia.]

I went in knowing practically the whole show by heart, yet some parts still managed to surprise me, and make me teary-eyed. I guess that's a sign of either awesomeness, or my being a fangirly lump of fluff.

Major, major props to the 2 leads: Amos Francia, who played Jason, and Alfredo "Bibo" Reyes, who played Peter. Surprisingly, Amos had me teary at different parts of the show than either James Snyder (Jason, bare Cast Recording) or John Hill (Jason, bare Off-Broadway show). That was kinda cool. His voice was amazing, and he acted so, so, well. He was every bit the "golden boy" that Jason is. Confident, talented, charming, with a hint of arrogance. Amos' little improvisations made the character somehow more like a real person, and I was just pretty much enthralled by him whenever he was onstage. His complete and utter sexiness in both looks and manner definitely helped, of course. Bibo's voice was was just amazing, kinda like a mixture of Matt Doyle (Peter, bare Cast Recording), Michael Arden (Peter, bare Off-Broadway show), and Christopher Johnson (Matt, bare Cast Recording). The way he sang Peter's songs was so heartfelt and pure, and he had me just holding back my spazzing out of total joy. His acting only ever so slightly betrayed the fact that he's quite new at this, him being a band frontman instead of an actor before (according to an article I saw online), but he managed quite well, especially for a freshman. He was still a bit hesitant with the intimate touching, as I expected, but Amos kinda made up for it in those parts. The chemistry was pretty good though, as they showed that, more than being lovers, Jason and Peter were best friends. All in all, these two made me a very, very happy person indeed. I especially loved their renditions of "Pilgrim's Hands" and "Queen Mab". [ALSO THE KISSING, GUH.]

Cassandra Manalastas, who played Nadia, Jason's sister, was good as well. She sang the shit out of "Plain Jane Fat-Ass", and that made me happy. This song wasn't in the off-Broadway production, so it was really nice to see it for the first time on stage. I ADORED the brother-sister dynamic shown between Nadia and Jason, and they reminded me that I really wish I had a twin brother, or a kuya. Though, there were some parts that she came off a bit too angry, rather than just subtly snarky and sarcastic, like Nadia is (for me, at least). I was a bit sad that they changed/didn't show the fact that she's a cellist though... I mean, give her something that Jason doesn't have! :)) But I totally understand, since a cello is hueg, heavy, very expensive and therefore hard to borrow and move onto and off their raised cross-shaped platform of a stage.

And now that I've mentioned the stage, here I segue into mild complaints about the theatre we watched the show in... While I thought the runway-ish stage was pretty cool and made for creative blocking, the area where the audience was sitting wasn't all that great. The floor was just flat, so the people who didn't get seats right up front couldn't have gotten all that nice a view, what with people's heads in the way. That being said, I move on. Oh wait, tip: if you sit at the front row, center, on monobloc chairs, then decide to follow the ushers' advice to sit on the pews in front after the first song, be prepared to have bright, extremely hot lights shining on you during some parts. You'll also have to scoot over to the left when the "Auditions" part of the show starts, since Sister Chantelle will be sitting on the right. Last thing, make sure no one sits on at least 2 of the monobloc chairs you vacated, as 2 of you will have to move there at the beginning of the second act. You can go back after. There's an upside to sitting on that very front row, though. During some scenes, the actors are practically in your face and you can really feel their emotion, which is really cool. Moving on...

The actress who played Ivy, the prettiest girl in school, was Oli del Rosario (thank you for the heads-up, anonymous blog commenter! XD) She sounded much like Jenna Leigh Green, who is pretty much THE Ivy, having played her in LA, Off-Broadway and on the Cast Recording. blueREP's Ivy's voice quality was nice, but her acting during some of her solo/duet songs left something to be desired. During "Portrait of a Girl", she was rooted to one spot, and she spent almost the whole song just clutching the folder she was holding to her chest, or sometimes flipping through it, so I had a hard time sympathizing with the character during that part. Also, in one of the second act duet with Jason, the rather lackluster direction (I think it may have been the direction, or nerves, 'coz the actress showed skillz during scenes, and in the other songs) would've killed another great song, if Amos wasn't so good during his part (fangirl. sorry.). She was great in "One Kiss" and awesome in "All Grown Up" though.

As for the minor characters, I loved Rem Zamora who played Sister Chantelle. Yes, Sister. He also played Sister Chantelle playing a singing, dancing Virgin Mary. Long (awesome) story. The "God Don't Make No Trash" song/scene with Sister Chantelle and Peter was quite moving, though I think some of the lines might have not been understandable if you didn't know them beforehand (I wouldn't know for sure though, because I DID know them. Sorry. :P) I'm sure about Lucas' rap about his new drugs not being understandable to the non-bare-tard though. The priest didn't speak/sing all too clearly either, which is sad, because a lot of what he says is a cause for strong emotion. (The clarity with which some lines were sung and said definitely need a bit of work.) The one who played Matt was good, but nothing really special.

Peter's mom (she was Jason's mom in one scene, too Joooke lang pala. All this time I thought that woman in Wedding Bells was JASON's mom. She looked and sounded veeeery different from Claire on the off-Broadway. o.o) was great, though. "See Me" + "Warning" is the song combo that really gets me crying, because I can somehow relate, even though I'm not exactly in Peter's situation. I just really think that most kids/teens go through a phase where they just really want their parents to see them, instead of an idealized version of what they're supposed to be, and most parents go through a time when they feel like they don't know their children at all... The scene between Peter and his mom in "See Me" was just... heart-wrenching, literally. Though I wasn't reduced to a teary mess like when I heard the Cast Recording version, my chest hurt while I was watching, and I never felt that before, as with "Warning".

Now, if there was one thing I learned from Ms Nanette (my third and fourth year high school English teacher) about being a director, it's that you should watch everyone onstage, instead of just the characters who are singing/talking at the time. This habit really paid off with this production, because if I wasn't looking at everybody, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate how they gave each student at St. Cecilia's their own character. They moved in different ways, had their own mannerisms, and you couldn't really say that any one student was just "part of the chorus". That really made the atmosphere feel real, and I think that this musical wouldn't work at all if it didn't feel believable, or relatable.

Life, love, secrets, decisions, taboo, heartbreak, expectations, morals, religion... These all come into play as bare's story unfolds. I guess... It's just about these teens growing up and trying to find their places in the world. They all want to be accepted, and to be loved, not in spite of, but rather because of, who they really are. They doubt, they make mistakes, some rise from them, and others realize just how hard it is to know what to do, or where to go without someone to guide them. But they know that someday, they have to learn to stand on their own feet. They learn.

Good job, blueREP. [If I'm even worthy to say such a thing. :))] You touched my soul. Thank you. :]

*~*

If you want to know what I'm talking about, and why I love it so much, go see it. Watch the off-Broadway show on YouTube, if you want. Buy/torrent, then listen to the Cast Recording! I can lend you my copies of both the off-Broadway and the cast recording if you like. Just tell me.

If you want to watch it in real life here in Manila though (aka what I just reviewed up there), go here for more details. However, I'm not affiliated with blueREP, or anything like that. I'm just sharing good art with as many people as I can.

crossposted on my multiply

edit: Last chance to see blueREP's bare this week, March 3-7, 8 PM, at the Gonzaga Exhibit Hall in Ateneo. If you guys wanna watch with me, I'm seeing it on Friday, March 6. :D

edit 2: I just got back from seeing it again. IT WAS SO GOOD. [Better than the first time, I swear.] Lots of friends, plus my sister, were with me. They all enjoyed it! So happy~ Restaging in a better theater, please? XD

5 comments

1. Anonymous on February 25, 2009 at 12:18 AM

   Off broadway version? Hey, a friend shared with me her file of the Studio recording. There is another version? Oh please,do , do share? gerry_hansolo@yahoo.com.
   
   It is a tall feat indeed to dare bare Catholic church, self confrontation and homosexuality issues. For these alone, Bare the musical is bold and brave! Not surprising, considering that the work originally was written and directed by mid 20s creators. This spunky little show rippled across US regional productions until it pivoted to the off Broadway sensation it is now known for. The Ateneo Blue Repertory values the rights for the local production and delivers it very, very well!
   
   The casting aces the choice of senior Amos Francia and freshman Bibo Reyes. The young actors are geniuses who deliver pristine talent and radiate oh so powerful dedication to their characters! Playing Peter and Jason, the roommates and lovers struggle for their needs and wants, and so do the rest of the graduating seniors of the catholic co ed school. Kids settle for trials and errors, the fab Sister Chantelle magnetize issues together and the typical coming of age passage is sung
   
   Trust me on this one: you gotta go Bare! Bare the musical is on limited run at the Ateneo til 28Feb. Sad that the wonderful production could have enjoyed adequate lead time for the much needed information campaign. Even frequent visiting friends could not keep up with its very limited run. The direction, the cast, the sincere attempt of it all were oh so good it would make a Bobby Garcia beam with pride!
   Heads up:
   1) The Gonzaga Hall is no Meralco Theater. Poor acoustics of the venue muddle the sound and the cast performance. At times, I felt that even the cast experienced difficulty hearing what was going on with the band. Sit up front for you to hear every word. This is the main bummer, as Bare COULD HAVE BEEN experienced as a great rock musical.
   2) And oh yes, take lots of oj. The Gonzaga Hall ventilation could drain you out. I agree with the intimacy concept, but oh the ventilation!! Makes one wonder how much support the organization got for the chosen venue.

    
2. Anonymous on February 25, 2009 at 11:27 AM

   It is heartwarming to hear such good reviews about a show that the blueREPERTORY members and friends have put their heart and soul into. For taking the time to do this, I thank you.
   
   And I believe that the girl who played Ivy during the show you watched was Oli del Rosario. :)
   
   Hope to see you at more shows by blueREPERTORY in the future. :)

    
3. Anonymous on February 25, 2009 at 11:34 AM

   Oh, and Bare by Blue Repertory is extended! Mar 3-7, we still have shows. Invite your friends!

    
4. Anonymous on March 2, 2009 at 6:16 PM

   THANK GOD FOR MY ATENEO FRIEND WHO DRAGGED ME TO WATCH MY FIRST EVER PLAY OF ATENEO BLUE REPERTORY ENTITLED "STAGES OF LOVE" CAUSE I LOVED IT SO MUCH THAT IT MADE ME WANT TO SEE BARE TOO! AND BARE DEFINITELY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! WHO KNEW SUCH AN ORG EVEN EXISTED! SO MUCH TALENT AMONG THESE TWO PLAYS ALONE, CAN'T WAIT FOR THEIR NEXT SEASON! I AM OFFICIALLY A BLUEREP JUNKIE! your plays should have tours! haha

    
5. Anonymous on March 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM

   absolutely! bluerep is a great great musical theater org, and man, the performers and crew are mostly college students and yet they can give the audience an excellent show. i really wish bare will have a tour so more people can see it ! i really enjoyed the show when i saw it. hopefully it can be presented in a real theater for better acoustics. bare deserves a good venue. right?