By Michael Gioia
22 Nov 2012
New songs also paved the way for contemporary choreography — or "expressive movement," as Wall described it — to be integrated. "These characters in the story are trying every possible way to express themselves. They're reaching out, and they're sometimes screaming so loud inside that it translates to movement," said Wall. "It's very story-driven."
Elizabeth Judd Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Contemporizing the piece was also made possible with the assistance of Tony Award-winning scenic designer Donyale Werle. The set has been covered in over 14,000 four-by-four inch Instagram pictures from the musical's fans as well as the cast and creatives. "There's a zillion photographs, and literally it takes one to undo somebody's life if they're living a lie," explained the Tony winner for her work on last season's Peter and the Starcatcher.
Hartmere acknowledged that social media has "completely changed the way teens interact," and Arima added that, "with literally a push of one button, you could destroy someone's life." Audiences can expect the spread of information to play a big part in the 2012 version of Bare.
However, with all of the changes, the message of Bare remains the same — discovering your true self. "The message of the show really is being yourself and the struggle that we all go through to present our authentic self to the world," said Hartmere. "How much do you lie and how much do you show? Especially in high school — it's such a time fraught with conflict. But to me, high school never ends, so I think that this struggle is something everyone can relate to."
(Playbill.com staff writer Michael Gioia's work appears in the news, feature and video sections of Playbill.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PlaybillMichael.)
Watch performances from Bare's press preview, including the new songs "You Don't Know" and "Million Miles From Heaven":
