Book/Lyrics: Jon Hartmere,
Book/Music: Damon Intrabartolo
Director: Stuart Mitchell
Edinburgh Little Theatre bring you the production of BARE: A Pop Opera. The production centres around a group of sixth formers at a Catholic boarding school where we explore the underhanded relationship between Jason and Peter. The production doesn’t shy away from its hard-hitting themes which include bulimia, teenage pregnancy and suicide. The young cast handle this with maturity and integrity.
The 14 strong cast portray their individual characters with raw emotion with standout performances especially from Stuart Michell (Peter) who particularly shines during his song ‘Role of a Lifetime’ setting the scene from off-set. Riodhna Walsh (Ivy) handles the mature themes of teenage pregnancy and her powerhouse voice is showcased brilliantly in the song ‘All Grown Up’. Amber Docherty (Diane Lee) and Catriona Lamb (Tanya) both bring incredible light to the roles. A final mention must go to Sam Fraser as Lucas who has excellent comic timing and keeps the audience in laughing throughout.
Despite the strong vocals, issues with diction and the fact the cast weren’t mic’d means at times the lines were lost, especially when cast members are directed to upstage themselves, the book in musicals are always the lesser of the main elements, but that doesn’t mean we should be missing vital story elements through poor stagecraft.
The cast work extremely well as an ensemble, but it’s clear at this later stage in the run that some individual voices are appearing tired – a challenging lesson on how much you can do at the Ed Fringe that has caught even the most seasoned of performers.
Bare is an extremely challenging production to execute but the young cast provides a very emotional and thought-provoking revival. One that will move you from tears to laughter and have you at the edge of your seat multiple times throughout its run.
Runs until August 28, 2022
