The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

Write for Us
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
Print Issues
Write for Us
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
Print Issues

“Bare” reaches out to LGBTQ+ community, young audiences

Go see the regional premiere of “Bare: A Pop Opera.” The thrilling and emotional story follows the secret relationship between Jason and Peter, two adolescent Catholic boys concealing their sexuality from their classmates at St. Cecilia’s Boarding School. With music by Damon Intrabartolo and lyrics by Jon Hartmere, “Bare” is a smart adaptation that features a pulsating rock and pop score, clever one-liners and meaningful, poetic lyrics. The story is framed like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and also makes several references to the story of Christ and the crucifixion.

The production will not leave you disappointed. The cast members brings their best to each role, developing characters that contribute their own charm to the plot and make the production three-dimensional. Bailey Walker and Sarah Walker, both attending the Musical Theatre Program here at the U, are superbly talented singers and actors. Katie Evans, who plays Nadia, commands the stage and channels the personality of the foul-mouthed nurse while remaining vulnerable and singing beautifully. Brock Dalgleish brings us through some terrific highs and terrible lows in his role as Jason, and the fact that he was half-naked throughout the show was nothing to complain about.

The creative team also makes smart choices that make the show cohesive and interesting. The costumes and set are red and blue, a reference to the Capulets and Montagues as well as symbolic of heaven and hell. The use of the space and the movement of the actors was well-defined, appropriate and plain entertaining.

What was the best part of this show? The fact that it had a full house. What this production has done successfully is produce a piece of art for a community that’s not usually given much attention, especially in Utah. Not just the LGBTQ+ community, but also young people. Through casting and marketing, Utah Rep created a production that was applicable and meaningful to younger people, which is usually considered the holy grail of audiences. How do you get young people to attend theatre? You do theatre about young people.

What also makes this production great is its dedication to community engagement. Fifteen percent of ticket sales for this production will go to support OUTreach, a non-profit youth support organization. OUTreach currently serves over 500 youths a year though prevention, intervention and crisis response. The organization’s mission to serve homeless or suicidal adolescents is certainly in alignment with the content of the show. Theatre should not only reflect societal issues but also strive to provide alternatives and avenues for action. It’s a nice change to see theatre be as supportive of a community as a community is supportive of the team making the art.

“Bare” is playing now until Jan. 31. Tickets have sold out for many shows, but it might not be too late if you purchase your tickets as soon as possible. “Bare” is being performed at the Sugar Space Warehouse Theater, River District, located at 130 S 800 W in Salt Lake. This show is relevant, beautifully executed and is striving to actually affect the audience who attend it. Go see it.

[email protected]

@ChronyArts

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

The Daily Utah Chronicle welcomes comments from our community. However, the Daily Utah Chronicle reserves the right to accept or deny user comments. A comment may be denied or removed if any of its content meets one or more of the following criteria: obscenity, profanity, racism, sexism, or hateful content; threats or encouragement of violent or illegal behavior; excessively long, off-topic or repetitive content; the use of threatening language or personal attacks against Chronicle members; posts violating copyright or trademark law; and advertisement or promotion of products, services, entities or individuals. Users who habitually post comments that must be removed may be blocked from commenting. In the case of duplicate or near-identical comments by the same user, only the first submission will be accepted. This includes comments posted across multiple articles. You can read more about our comment policy at https://dailyutahchronicle.com/comment-faqs/.
All The Daily Utah Chronicle Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *