Bare: A Pop Opera is a wonderfully crafted musical with intricate symbolism and a captivating plot. The songs are superior to most other musicals, and nearly every one is impactful, forcing its listeners to reflect.

The plot of Bare centers around Peter and Jason, two closeted Catholic school students who have been in a relationship for over six years. The storyline delves deep into what it’s like to be a closeted teenager in a homophobic society. Although the original musical was written in 1999, the plot is applicable to today’s society without missing a beat.

Words cannot describe how marvelous the story is. Bare excels at making a full circle plot where everything is connected. Even the instrumental blends in and represent different concepts seamlessly that only begin to unravel once you really listen to them. It takes multiple listens to even start to decipher the full plot. It’s like a puzzle, which is why it’s so hard to move on from the soundtrack.

Some of the best songs, although they’re all wonderful, include “Role of a Lifetime”, “Ever After”, “All Grown Up”, “Once Upon a Time”, “Bare”, and  “No Voice”.

As this musical is a modern day Romeo and Juliet, it’s a tragedy that discusses heavy topics such as homophobia (the main conflict in the show), being overweight, teenage pregnancy, and drug-related issues. Bare, just like Romeo and Juliet, does not have a happy ending and is not necessarily happy musical. However,  Bare creates a beautiful sense of melancholy that fails to disappoint even the biggest musical-hater.

You can find Bare on YouTube, and unfortunately, that’s about it.