Underground and Unapologetic: Why “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” Hits Home
By Kristen Wright Matthews
There’s something electric happening underground at the Alliance Theatre—and it’s loud in all the right ways.
“Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience,” running through June 30, may be marketed as family theatre, but let me say this clearly: Age-appropriate audiences should absolutely see this play—including adults. Even as a grown woman, the theme resonated deeply with me.
At the beginning, the mole rats have only one thing to be proud of: They are naked. That’s their identity. Their badge of honor. Their unifying theme. “Naked Rules!” isn’t just a song—it’s their culture.
And then Wilbur dares to ask a dangerous question: Why not?
Why not try something new?
Why not explore?
Why not be different?
Grand-Pah, the authoritative voice of tradition, is stunned. The tension feels familiar. How often do we cling to norms simply because they are comfortable? How often do we silence curiosity because it threatens what we’ve always known?
As the story unfolds, what struck me most was Grand-Pah’s quiet realization. Beneath his outrage is regret—the sense that maybe he, too, once wanted something different. That subtle shift adds emotional depth adults in the audience can’t ignore.
The cast delivers with extraordinary energy, transforming the tunnel into a rock arena pulsing with color and movement. The music by Deborah Wicks La Puma is infectious and layered, and the performances are tight, charismatic, and fully committed.
By the final number, the mole rats are no longer proud simply because they are naked. They are proud because each one brings a little piece of themselves to the community. The celebration shifts from sameness to individuality. The tunnel becomes a place of kinder, happier, cooler mole rats.
That message lingers.
It is easy—painfully easy—to spend our lives trying to fit into the norm. This joyful underground musical reminds us that individuality isn’t rebellion. It’s freedom.
Alliance Theatre hasn’t just staged a children’s show. They’ve staged a mirror.
And sometimes the bravest thing any of us can say—at any age—is simply, “Why not?”
This production was experienced inside the new Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families, which officially opened in January. Inspired by the multi-year construction project and excavation beneath the Woodruff Arts Center’s Memorial Arts Building, "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience" is part of a series of three youth and family productions performed in repertory— all set underground. The Underground Rep also features "Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™Tale" (January 24 – June 27) and "The Great Ant Sleepover" (May 16 – July 5).
For more information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org.