For one night only, Artistic Differences Theatre Company is bringing back the critically acclaimed musical, Bare in concert, this Thursday to Downtown Sacramento.

The show will take place at Harlow’s restaurant at 2907 J St. at 7 p.m. Bare tells the story of two homosexual high school students learning to cope with their environment at a Catholic boarding school and the personal struggles that ensue.

Introduced to Sacramento last summer, Bare originally debuted at the Hudson Theater in Los Angeles in October of 2000. It has since spread to other locations and theatre departments, eventually making its way to Sacramento through Artistic Differences in 2008.

Daniells, Executive Producer of Artistic Differences, created the company and began producing the first musical, Falsettos, in July of 2006. The act received rave reviews from local media outlets according to Daniells, which encouraged the expansion of the young organization to continue further productions, like Bare, in the Sacramento area.

“Word of mouth spread and audiences tripled by the second weekend, which was unfortunately also its closing weekend,” Daniells wrote in a letter on the company’s website. “With plans to increase our staff, establish a board of directors and one day open our own venue, we haven't forgotten our goals. We strive to be the premiere producer of lesser known musicals in the greater Sacramento area.”

Artistic Differences then took a year off to try and discover another musical they wanted to pursue for production. Kevin Caravalho, the director of performances for the company, had been following Bare since its debut in Los Angeles. When Caravalho found out the sponsors had dropped out and Bare lost exclusive rights, he said he had to convince Daniells that their wait for another gem was over.

"When I found out the rights had come through, this show that I had been obsessed with for the past couple years, I knew we had to do it," Caravalho said. "Erik was like, ‘Well, maybe we can do it in the next couple of years.’ And I said, ‘Erik, if you listen to just a few of these songs you’re going to change your mind… So I gave him the CD, and no more than 10 minutes later he called and said, ‘We’re doing it this summer.’

Caravalho said what drew him to Bare was the dynamic it creates for the 18 to 25 yr. old demographic. There are very few productions he's seen that he said speak to the younger audience with the impact Bare provides.

"They’re so real," he said. "A lot of the shows out there are a lot of thrills and smoke and mirrors without getting to the heart of the anxiety of the American teen. It’s one of the few shows that I’ve found really speaks to that age bracket and really had substance and meant something to them. But not just them.

"Gay, straight, young, old, guys and girls, as well. It really crosses all those boundaries. It just has that music that instantly speaks to you."

General admission for Bare is $40, but the price drops to $32 for eligible students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased through the company website at artisticdifferences.net.