Bare is a nationally recognised play that consists of a series of monologues which are cleverly connected with each other.  

Director Bevan Thomas has provided his version of this wonderfully hilarious show with amazing conviction. The new theatre company No Exit Theatre has definitely proven that they are ready to compete with other professional companies and take the theatre world by storm. At The Meteor Theatre in Hamilton, which is now under the new Trust, Bare has taken to the stage again.

The monologues in Toa Fraser’s witty and hilarious yet sad and understandable script follow the lives of many different types of people from New Zealand; characters we can all relate to because we have seen at least one of them in our lifetimes. The use of swearing allows the characters to come alive and makes the stories being portrayed more real. 

There are a lot of stereotypical characters, like young white boys who are working mediocre jobs; high paid American men; Swandri and gumboot wearing males who live next door; female Pacific Islanders with their idiosyncratic pronunciations of English words; gym junkies; and young families destroyed because of cultural barriers.

The characters in Bare seem perfectly cast in this rendition. A particular highlight for me is watching Cameron Smith perform. He goes from one extreme to another in differentiating each character he plays. Although his American accent seems to drop in some parts when he’s acting as a hotshot TV tycoon, at one time he’s a ‘thug’ (for lack of better word) tagging in the streets on walls and then suddenly he’s an old Fijian granddad who loves to drink his whiskey with milk. 

Each character Cameron plays he plays well. What I love most of all is that when he speaks it feels like I am the only other person in the conversation. Ben Smith is also great at capturing that essence of the show. Like Cameron he makes me feel like I am on the receiving end of his monologues; like he’s judging me when he’s acting as the cinema usher. 

Ben Smith gives a heartfelt delivery of one monologue which reaches into the depths of everyday life and shows that he too can go from one extreme to another. A far cry from the carefree, happy-go-lucky character Dave, his performance as the hard done-by kid whose family life is a shambles is almost too hard to watch. I feel like it’s me he’s telling a heart-breaking tale to. He looks in my direction and mentions that his uncle got his sister and mum pregnant at the same time and I feel bad for having laughed at his jokes in the beginning. He makes me feel like I know him personally and I forget for a moment that I’m watching a play. 

Kathleen Christian is most excellent. Playing a diverse range of girls, she performs every one of them superbly. I guess as a high school teacher in real life Kathleen has seen these kinds of characters pass her by year after year: the girl who is in love with a boy after two weeks; the girl who is too cool for school. Even an older lady who is the boss at Burger King yet seems young at heart. I actually feel like one of Sirena’s mates when she’s acting.

Cian Gardner is a delight. Providing most of the comedic relief in this show, she is absolutely hilarious with her mannerisms and portrayals of different female stereotypes. However, I feel as though she may be performing to some friends on one side of the theatre and as a result I don’t get that intimate feeling that I do with the rest of the cast members. I feel like I am forgotten about and watching someone play up too much to their mates.

As a flexible and intimate Black Box theatre, The Meteor has an uncanny ability to allow audience members to feel more involved in the story. No Exit Theatre has performed Bare amazingly and I recommend it. You will not be disappointed.

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It’s a nice feeling when you’re reminded of something you’d forgotten you liked. I last saw Bare performed 2008 but it wasn’t until seeing this production that I recalled how witty and engaging it was. The show is a sequence of monologues, gradually linking together but never so much as to feel contrived.

On parade are a series of all-too-familiar New Zealand faces: taggers, gym junkies, fast food and cinema workers. With Fraser’s knack for dialogue and the casts energy and focus each persona is just the right balance of believable, annoying and sympathetic. There’s only a shadow of a plot but there are character arcs and the interlinking supports identity rather than narrative, letting us see people from different perspectives.

Originally a two hander, this production divides the parts between the cast, two male, two female. All four gel strongly, synching with the same level of cheek and respect for their characters.

Cian Paige Gardner’s gym instructor Venus has wonderful character progression, appearing narcissistic at first but gradually revealing insecurities. Kathleen Christian ensures her character, but never her performance, is cringe-worthy, opening the show with a radio caller with an endless list of shout-outs. Ben Smith gives us a great kiwi bloke character, earnest and oblivious to just how aggressive some of his language is and Cameron Smith pulls great laughs with his frustrated cinema worker rant.

While the cast shine at young characters, the elder ones are shakier, an aging Fijian patriarch not quite bearing the gravity of years.

Theatre veteran but first time director Bevan Thomas follows good instincts, letting the script and characters stand on their own, excellently placing an unscripted intermission and editing tightly.   

It’s fast, fun theatre, with sharp writing and strong character work. Well worth a look. Bare runs 15th-24th May at The Meteor Theatre. 7.30pm 

As posted in ROSS’S REVIEWS

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