Arts :: Theater
Dare to be Bare by Brian Jewell
contributing writerWednesday Jul 23, 2008 If the news that a theater company called F.U.D.G.E. is putting on a high school themed show conjures images of safe tweener pap like High School Musical, think again. The young troupe’s production of the musical Bare deals with suicide, teen pregnancy, drug use, and homosexuality - all the elements of an education at a Catholic high school!
The "pop opera" by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere centering on a love affair between two boys at St. Cecilia’s boarding school was first produced in Los Angeles at the turn of the century, and later had an off-Broadway run and some regional productions. It sounds like a show that some local company would have already snatched up - Speakeasy Stage, maybe - but F.U.D.G.E. Theatrical scoops the bigger boys with the Boston premiere.
"We love to be to be able to present premiers," says Bare’s director, Joe DeMita. He explains that premiers are free of the preconceived notions attached to more familiar shows, which makes them as exciting for the audience as it does for the company. "After the success of our productions of "I Sing and I Love You Because, it is clear that that Boston audiences love seeing new productions."
Although the youth-oriented show (called "a cross of Dead Poet’s Society and Rent" by one Seattle critic) sounds like a good match for a fairly new theater company with an enthusiasm communicated by its name alone (F.U.D.G.E. stands for Friends United Developing Genuine Entertainment,) the production is actually a return to more serious fare after the company’s raucous production of the campy Batboy: The Musical.
Bare has plenty of humor and heart, but it’s also a serious exploration of the coming of age of five teenagers struggling to find their own identities and reconcile them with Church doctrine. The cast of characters includes a jock and an honors student who are embroiled in a closeted affair, a would-be Lolita who uses sex to get attention and love, an ugly duckling with more obvious self-esteem issues, and a surprisingly hip nun who tries to give the kids the respect and guidance they so desperately need. The story is intertwined with St. Cecilia’s production of Romeo and Juliet, suggesting that the course of true love will indeed not run smooth.
"These issues are all prevalent in today’s society, and Bare addresses them in a poignant and thought provoking way," DeMita sums up the show.
Bare opens Friday July 25 and plays Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. through August 2 at Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. Tickets $12-$18. Info: 617.921.4351 or www.fudgetheatre.com.
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