Retirement: a long-awaited phase of life that promises privacy, tranquility, and autonomy from the responsibilities of work and parenthood. If their paradise is jeopardized, one could resort to extremes to maintain their leisurely lifestyle. Perhaps even become nudists.
The Bare Truth, a comedy written by local playwright Howard Brown, centers around this very hypothetical. Disgruntled by their overbearing adult children, South Florida retirees Jack (played by Jack Krantz) and Betty Baxter (Ellen Gillette) craft a plan to convince the kids that they’ve become nudists, with the influence of their proudly nudist neighbors Eve (Ellie Nicholas) and Lloyd Morton (Joe Moore). While there is no nudity in the play, Brown undresses themes of personal privacy and self-expression in his engagingly witty text.
Brown directs this production at Port St. Lucie’s Treasure Coast Theatre alongside Heidi Condon, and their meticulous vision comes to life before the show even starts. As soon as you enter the intimate 54-seat house, you’re greeted by a stereotypical (in the best way possible) coastal living room, complete with a wicker barstand and bright blue walls. In a small venue where everything is on display, little scenic details hold extra weight in creating a space’s integrity, and set designer Angela Anderson Knittel understood this importance. Though I sat in the back row, I noticed graduation photos, knick-knacks, and family portraits across various bookshelves and tables onstage. This specificity, alongside the Jimmy Buffett hits on the preshow playlist, provided me with a solid understanding of the play’s Floridian setting and vibe before any dialogue was spoken.
The play itself provides humorous commentary on independence in its first act, but eventually reveals conflicts of unexplored self-expression, marital tensions, and pursuits of pleasure across a cast of eight characters. Brown’s conversational writing style flows very well amongst the cast performances, particularly between the two core couples. From their very first scene, Nicholas and Moore captured my attention as the eccentric, yet authentic Mortons. Nicholas portrays Eve’s Jersey and Vegas Showgirl roots with such naturality, while Moore’s warm approach to Lloyd feels reminiscent of someone you know in your own life. Their combined chemistry and timing truly represent comedy at its best.
Compared to their openly nudist neighbors, Krantz and Gillette as Jack and Betty Baxter initially serve as great straight men, but their humor shines in their gradual descent into nudism. From their discovery of nudist camps to planning their announcement to the kids, the couple highlights the silliness of their escapades in their novelty towards them. Austin Parriott and Katie Dempsey play the uptight Baxter children, JD and Judith, and their committed condescension towards their parents alongside their characters’ personal stresses successfully foil the ridiculousness of the play’s subject matter. Gigi Mumford as Terri, JD’s wife, heightens the emotional turmoil of the Baxters’ foray into nudism with her intense cheeriness (and eventual reckoning). Travis Perkins rounds out the cast as Nick, and while I cannot divulge into his character without spoilers, his frankness and delivery provide for a very funny moment towards the end of the play.
The Bare Truth runs now through August 16 at Treasure Coast Theatre. Tickets are $26, with student discounts available. Visit treasurecoasttheatre.com for more information on this production, as well as their upcoming season, which includes shows like The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, Rumors by Neil Simon, and the renowned musical Annie.
