Damon Intrabartolo, writer of pop musical “bare,” dies at 39

ENLARGE
Damon Intrabartolo

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Damon Intrabartolo, the co-author and composer of the gay coming-of-age pop musical “bare” and movie orchestrator and conductor, died Aug. 13 in Phoenix. He was 39.

Co-written by Jon Hartmere, the lyricist, “bare” told the story of two boys in a Catholic boarding school who are forced to keep their love in the shadows. The musical quickly became a cult classic not longer after it opened in 2000 in Los Angeles, and won a slew of L.A. awards. “bare” then had a five-week run off-Broadway in 2004.

A new version of “bare” returned to off-Broadway in 2012, but Intrabartolo was not involved in that production.

Born in New Jersey, Intrabartolo attended the University of Southern California. He has collaborated with John Ottman for more than a dozen years, orchestrating and conducting films including “X2: X-Men United” “Hide And Seek” and “Superman Returns.”

Film fans may remember seeing Intrabartolo in the 2001 documentary, “On The Bus,” about six gay men attending the Burning Man festival in the desert.

Intrabartolo had moved from Los Angeles to Arizona, where he was working on several projects, including a new musical titled “Ride … a pop fable.”

Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning writer for “Milk,” posted four photos and expressed his sorrow today on his Facebook page:

THE TEARS WON’T STOP FALLING: One of my dearest friends and collaborators for many years has passed away. DAMON INTRABARTOLO and I shared so many adventures, not the least of which were captured in our documentary ON THE BUS… Damon, we grew up together, you helped me come out, you taught me how to be brave and misbehave, you were my youth, you were my inspiration, you were my favorite of all troublemakers. My world can never be the same.

The cause of death was not immediately known.