Bare

The Stage
Written, produced, directed, choreographed by and starring the same person, is often a warning flag for fringe shows, but in the case of Renny Krupinski’s Bare the combination is legitimate, the product of a writer who knows exactly how he wants his vision to take shape and who has the talent in all these areas to make it happen.

This drama of illegal bare-knuckle fighting has a predictable plot, as a lad needing money is drawn into the business, only to be manipulated and trapped by the crooks and hard men who run it, but playwright Krupinski captures the gritty reality of the story and actor Krupinski drives much of its dark energy as the oily but dangerous crooked boss.

There are strong performances from Paul Michael Giblin as the honourable young man with only one way to support his family and Kaitlin Howard doing more than you might expect with the Adrian role of the fighter’s wife.