Capsule Stage Reviews: bare, Big Range Dance Festival, Electile Dysfunction, La Sylphide and A Doll's House, Present Laughter, The Splasher

bare Damon Intrabartolo (music and book) and Jon Hartmere (book and lyrics) call their vigorous and entertaining R-rated musical set at a co-ed Catholic boarding school a "pop opera," and that's all right by us, even though it's a long way from having an opera's thematic unity. Yes, everything's sung, so technically it's an opera, but more times than not when a song ends so does the scene, giving this impressive work a jerky rhythm when it should smoothly soar instead. Thanks to the two talented young creators — and Country Playhouse's talented, agile cast — bare flies high nonetheless. It's easy to see why this youth-oriented musical has had such a cult following ever since its L.A. premiere in 2000. Heavily influenced by Jonathan Larson's grunge romantic Rent, Intrabartolo and Hartmere have provocatively lowered the age of their social misfits. These are the ultimate tweeners, kids teetering before adulthood with a glaze of drugs, sex and attitude. Awash in gay sex, teen pregnancy, body consciousness and social pressure, mixed with hits of ecstasy and hash brownies, tumbled together with Catholic guilt and parental ineptitude, the headiness is aptly set to Hartmere's vernacular, spiky poetry and Intrabartolo's inventive, swirling pop score. It's mighty potent. The large cast, dewy-eyed in age only, is equally stirring, with standouts Jacob Wills, Nathan McManus, Cindy Godell, Jeremy Brown, Jessica Janes and Scott Lupton leading the way. Director O'Dell Hutchison lovingly focuses the youngsters, giving them room to breathe, while music director Luke Kirkwood, with the most minimal of orchestras, keeps the whole thing fresh, snapping and in-your-face. Through June 21. 12802 Queensbury, 713-467-4497. — DLG

Big Range Dance Festival The sixth annual Big Range Dance Festival is a three-week smorgasbord of movement, with three different programs all featuring original choreography from Houston and beyond. Act I of Program B brightened the night with four delightful dances by UH Assistant Professor of Dance Teresa Chapman. Again, with dancing by Erica Lewis and music by Gotan Project, was especially charming. Its organic, fluid and focused movement was made wonderfully strange by odd narrative moments — Lewis's face was as fun to watch as her easy movement. Act II started with the lovely confection Sorbet!, choreographed by Karen Stokes to the intro to The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. It was a celebration of summer: The dancers were energetic and joyful in their brightly colored costumes. STKH, by choreographer Aydin Teker, was the most unusual performance. Kelly Knox often danced on her back with her legs in the air, showing all the bizarre ways a dancer's talented and much abused feet can move. Program C, running June 13 – 15, features choreography by Kent De Spain and Leslie Dworkin from Austin, along with others. Judging from Program B, dance lovers shouldn't miss it. Through June 15. Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex, 2201 Preston, 713-529-1819. — LW

Electile Dysfunction Radio Music Theatre has tackled the wild and wacky political season with this funny play, which is full of characters as kooky as the past few months have been. Writer/director Steve Farrell knows just how to put things into perspective. His silly show features the Jones family from Precious Trees, "the most planned planned community" in Houston. Mom, Dad and Junior all support different candidates. The Spy Eye News team finds out about the argument and decides to feature the family as a human interest story. The actors present the newscast complete with commercials; the funniest features a very familiar furniture salesman named Uncle Dan (played by a hysterical Farrell), who sells a "political leaning chair" that leans to the left or the right depending on your preference and a recliner that shoots bullets. Back on the show, Damn Mad (Rich Mills) rants about politics, and the biggest story of the week focuses on the pastor of the biggest church in Texas — it's so big it used to be a whole ranch. Nothing is actually settled during the show, but lots of fun is had as the politics of the hour get chewed over. Through November 15. 2623 Colquitt, 713-522-7722. — LW