Bare

Bare came to the London Palladium for one night only on 7th April 2024.

The cast boasts of Jordan Luke Gage (Bonnie and Clyde, &Juliet and Bat Boy) Laurie Kynaston (Netflix’s Fool Me Once, Spring Awakening) Cassidy Janson (&Juliet, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as ‘Claire’ and Frances Mayli McCann (Bonnie and Clyde, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour) as ‘Ivy’, with Chrissie Bhima as ‘Kyra’, Adrian Hansel as ‘Priest’, Jason Battersby as ‘Lucas’, Claudia Kariukias ‘Sister Chantelle’, Aoife Kenny as ‘Tanya’, Ed Larkin as ‘Matt’, Jack Ofrecio as ‘Zack’, Emily Ooi as ‘Diane’ and Katie Ramshaw as ‘Nadia’.

Trigger warnings featured before the show explain the show will include homophobia, suicide and self-harm, body dysmorphia and pregnancy, religious conflict, substance abuse, and mental health. This review will also have plot spoilers! 

Bare is about finding your true self within a Catholic boarding school set with a romance between two leads, Jason McConnell (Jordan Luke Gage) and Peter Simonds (Laurie Kynaston). The Catholic Church does not recognise same-sex marriage and views it as a sin (trust me, I’m rolling my eyes while researching it; get with the program, Catholics, us queers are fantastic, thank you). 

The struggle for Peter to tell his mum he is gay is one that so many young people still face today. It stings to see it in the show, but it’s an unflinchingly true portrayal of what many LGBTQIA+ people will face even in 2024. Especially within a religious background. Both Jordan and Peter are phenomenally talented singers, giving us the numbers ‘You & I’, ‘Best Kept Secret', and ‘Ever After’ in Act 1. Each number had its own merits, with you and I having some comedic lines. Best Kept Secret is a raw number between two lovers, one who is desperate to be seen as he is with his boyfriend and another who is scared of his best kept secret being revealed and losing his school prospects and family due to his sexuality. 

Act one also contains a song called ‘Plain Jane fat ass’, ‘A quiet night at home', and 'Spring’ sung by Katie Ramshaw (Nadia), who gives a standout performance capturing the frustration of being a plus-sized teenager ignored for roles in the school play and being overlooked in general by society due to not being what is incorrectly assumed ‘the norm’ and how lonely it can be.

I must admit the rapping throw into the song ‘Wonderland’ felt forced and long. Jason Battersby (Lucas) delivers it well, but if it wasn’t a part of the musical, I’m not sure it would change much. A rock musical with one random rap felt a little odd. 

Act 2 gives us some stunning numbers from Frances Mayli McCan (Ivy). I honestly can’t say I’ve ever seen Francis give anything less than a fantastic performance. She really has a stunning range and control. ‘All grown up’ in Act 2, performed solo by Frances, really blew me away. 

Claudia Kariuki (Sister Chantelle) also gives a hilarious and soulful performance with a heartwarming ‘god don’t make no trash’ in which Peter finds some acceptance within the church. 

Peter struggles to come out to his mum in a frustrating number called 'See me’. We see Jason struggle more and more to accept his sexuality, and his struggle leads to him and Peter breaking up. Jason seeks help from the priest and is essentially told to trust in God and hide who he is, which rightly distresses him and leads to him overdosing and dying. We see the leads come out one by one and say their last words to Jason. This scene had me sobbing. It was raw and emotional, and sadly, a very real reality for many teens who do not receive the support needed when discovering who they are. 

Overall, the cast could not have been better,  Alas no concert at the Palladium is complete without the curse of the mic cutouts. Although frustrating for the audience, this did not spoil the overall show, with cutouts happening drastically less in Act 2. The mic issues seem to affect Ed Larkin (Matt) the most, which is a huge shame. Ed has a wonderful voice, and it should be heard loud and clear. A few numbers could use tweaking and possibly removing, as they don’t add much to the show. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Boo’s reviews 

Accessibility ticket paid for: £107 

Access notes for stall seating: leg room isn’t overly generous; I’m 5’8 and was slightly uncomfortable. I sat in Seat B 14. A lift is available to the stalls. The royal circle and grand circle are not accessible by lift.