New Bobby and Kristen Lopez Muical UP HERE at La Jolla Playhouse

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 6/9/15 at 8:56pm

Directed by Alex Timbers and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse. Anyone going to this? Any scoop on the show?

Up Here

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 6/18/15 at 12:00pm

anyone?

[sklabam]

Posted: 6/22/15 at 4:35pm

I'm hearing some good stuff about this one and since San Diego is on my radar for July I will see and report back for sure. I sure them as a couple - and their word play is smart and fun. Who wrote the book? I forget...

Alex is dynamic as a director.

Who else can chime in on some more info please????

[Actriz2]

Posted: 6/22/15 at 4:41pm

^According to The Guardian, they wrote the book as well.

[Alessio2]

Posted: 6/22/15 at 5:31pm

I live in LA so definitely plan on seeing this. I saw Side Show and The Hunchback of Notre Dame there and was impressed with the Broadway quality of these productions.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 7/10/15 at 3:42pm

is anybody seeing it? Is this Broadway-Bound?

[Alessio2]

Posted: 7/10/15 at 3:45pm

I dont believe it has started its run yet. I have tickets for July 30th.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 7/10/15 at 3:56pm

yeah it only starts in 2 weeks. Report back!

[Alessio2]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 4:59pm

Bumping this thread! Performances start tonight. Anyone going?? I'll be there this thursday. Also since I will be in San Diego, I'll be catching Kiss Me Kate at the Old Globe. First time there!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 5:37pm

It's sounds like a combination of Balancing Act and Pixar's Inside Out.

[jkl011]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 6:41pm

I have tickets for August 7th! Can't wait. 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 6:46pm

I've heard great things! Also, Betsy Wolfe? You kidding me? This is a must see for me. Going in August.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 8:14pm

I think it's nearly sold out its run, was looking for this coming weekend and not a single seat to be found. Later dates where the same 

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 9:35pm

report back !

[Nina23]

Posted: 7/28/15 at 9:40pm

"I think it's nearly sold out its run, was looking for this coming weekend and not a single seat to be found. Later dates where the same "

 I will think this is going to Broadway. when and where is anyone's guess.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 8/1/15 at 10:40am

Up here starting on July 28th

Anyone see this yet with first impressions???

 

The Lopez's are soooo hot right now....

recent article....

http://www.lajollalight.com/news/2015/jul/29/Up-Here-La-Jolla-Playhouse-2015/

 

Very excited to see this, just not sure if will make it to San Diego or wait til broadway....

[Mystic Pasta]

Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:23pm

I had an opportunity to see last night's show and I enjoyed it a lot more than the audience, which was on the quiet side.   Maybe they are tired from the summer or maybe audiences expect a finished show for an out of town tryout.  The production is not ready for Broadway but you can tell there is a great idea in there.  I was expecting the score to be stronger.  There are two show stopping numbers and the book needs work, but that is why the creative team is there.  Betsy Wolfe is fantastic and the male lead was good but not a star.  Very predictable acting choices and am not sure all the jokes are as funny as they might have been in the rehearsal room.  I also liked the choreography.  It's not groundbreaking like Mormon, but that is hard to repeat.  I hope the book writer takes the time to figure out what is the point of the show and clarify the characters.  It's a simple story and not much happens so I assume audience feedback will help.  I think the tone was unfocssed if they want to be sweet and share a universal message or go a bit darker about what is in oour head.  The opening number is a Pantone delight but the rest of the show is downhill from there.  I kind of felt like they were using scenery, projections and costumes to cover up storytelling.  I also thought Act 1 was a lot stronger than Act 2.  All the orchestrations were fantastic.  I hope they do another regional production and focus on Act 2.   Am seeing "Bent" tonight at the Taper.  A very different show that also raises quesitons about exploring identity, but Bent features powerful writing and Up Here can take a beat from that.  

[cardamon]

Posted: 8/6/15 at 10:40pm

The first production shots are in. Hmm...

 

[StageDoor3]

Posted: 8/7/15 at 11:22pm

I saw "Up Here" last weekend at one of the early previews, and I agree with Mystic Pasta.  There are a lot of good promising elements in the show.  I think the show needs to be even more "out there", off-wall quirky and theatrical.  There were moments of that with the puppets, the talking furniture and others. But I wanted more.  And I had expected to see Betsy Wolfe's "emotions" come to life.  I'd imagine the creators thought about it but decided against going in that direction.

But this is why shows tryout out of town.  I love the Lopez's work and respect Alex Timbers as a director and look forward to seeing how the show evolves.

And, Mystic, I saw "Bent" and "Girl Friend" this week in L.A.  Two very different sides of a coin in a way and both strong productions.

 

Updated On: 8/7/15 at 11:22 PM

[jkl011]

Posted: 8/8/15 at 2:29am

Just got back from seeing this tonight, and to be honest I'm a little bit disappointed. I didn't really find any of the songs memorable besides the opening number. Act 1 was good, but act 2 felt a little scattered. The story was sort of predictable, although I really liked the overall theme.

The jokes were either hit or miss, and the audience seemed pretty unresponsive throughout. I laughed out loud a few times but didn't find it nearly as funny as Avenue Q or Mormon. The part that got the biggest laugh was the little audience participation bit. 

The performances were strong (besides a little boy who I couldn't understand at all and who really couldn't sing), and I thought Betsy Wolfe really hit it out the park! Matt Bittner impressed me too.

At intermission, the people around me seemed pretty mixed/negative about it. With a bit of tightening and revising I think it could turn into a strong show, but I don't see it being a big hit. 

[sklabam]

Posted: 8/10/15 at 9:53pm

I saw with a group last week and really liked it but for the little boy actor, and a song called DANNY DOG.

UP HERE is a winner. I give it a B- and want to see it again on Broadway. It's got promise and some terrific songs including: UP HERE, DON'T YOU JUST HATE DAN and I FEEL LIKE I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN YOU. Overall, it needs some work to make easier to understand.

The subscription audience I was surrounded by were nearly all +50 and my friends and I laughed much more than the folks around us.

A show about the inside-life and language narrating what we do and how we treat ourselves  is compelling and only oft-putting when it gets too busy to follow...and I even liked notion of THE ROCK, even as it needs some simplification to really work.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 4:49pm

Isherwood is pretty mixed about the whole thing.
The musical charms of “Up Here,” which predictably ends as most romantic comedies do, might be better served by a less lavish production, one that emphasized the duets and solos for Dan and Lindsay, a

Posted: 8/20/15 at 4:25pm

TheaterMania review is pretty negative