Thoughts on FROM UP HERE (some spoilers)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 5:47pm

Talk about miles and miles of potential that aren't explored!

I very much enjoyed FROM UP HERE, Liz Flahive's New York/professional playwriting debut. I give Manhattan Theatre Club immense credit for picking up a play as daring as this - one in a long line of works that go over the heads of their elderly subscriber base.

It is a very good play. But it is not an excellent play by any stretch of the imagination. It skims the surface of a number of topics, only going into a few of them. For example, the idea of the young woman playing "Mentor" to our hero, only to have it come out she was using it as a way to write her college essay, is terrific.

But to have the "obligatory scene" happen with a half hour to go and absolutely no development is an unfortunate non-shock (and I do believe that Flahive was using it as a shock point.)

To have the mother go nuts at the very end seemed quite out of left field, again with no development leading up to it. The "obligatory scene" between Mother and Son skims the surface, yet again, but never really goes into the depths of why the kid would do what he did.

And Flahive leads us to believe that there's to be some romantic tryst between the aunt and the step-father, but that's just a red herring. The only truly developed storyline is between the sister and the weird guitar player.

And that, in effect, is the only satisfying aspect of the production. Don't get me wrong, it has a lot of really, really great moments. With further rewrites, it really could be the next "big thing."

But you know what? To hell with the flaws. Flahive's play, which is far too good (warts and all) to be tossed in the annals of "juvenilia" (and I use that word loosely) like so many other "first plays," has been given a first rate production, smoothly directed by Leigh Silverman.

The cast is led by the heartbreaking Tobias Segel and the wonderful Julie White (who I would gladly pay to hear read the Yellow Pages). The rest of the ensemble are just as strong - particular favorites were Will Rogers (I wonder how often he gets "so have you produced any follies lately?) and Aya Cash.

Do go see "From Up Here," if you have the chance - it's a really interesting, timely work that promises great things to come from the young actors and playwright.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 5:50pm

Wow! Thank you for your review. I am actually thinking of seeing this and 'reasons to be pretty" at Lucille Lortel.

J*

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 5:56pm

I know it will included spoilers, but can you go into detail the plot and whatnot? I didnt' get a sense of what the place is actually about from your review. Also, how does one get their first professional playwrighting debut by MTC? That's awesome.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 6:10pm

Flahive is a member of Ars Nova playwriting group, which is co-producing with MTC. They had an empty spot on their schedule, Ars Nova sent over Flahive's script, and they picked it up. As I've heard, it all happened in a very short timespan.

Plot - Kenny (Segal) is returning to school for the first time following an "incident," which we later learn through chatter was his bringing a gun to school and threatening to kill everyone. As a result, he has to make a public apology to the entire school, and is assigned a student mentor (Jenni Barber) to readjust him to the school community.

Meanwhile, his sister (Aya Cash) is the object of affection of a guitar playing doofus (Will Rogers); his aunt (I don't know how to spell the woman's name, forgive me) has returned from the peace corps.; his step father wants to have a baby with Julie White, who plays the mother, Grace.

We learn midway through the show that the Student Mentor used her helpign Kenny to write a college essay that will be published in the local papers. Grace, earlier, has stated she wants to sell the house, because everyone points and stares. In the end, she goes nuts and destroys her property, the neighbor's property, etc., and it's in the police station following the school dance (Dad dropped Kenny off to visit Mom; Kenny, who needs to have an adult accompany him everywhere he goes, took the Aunt to the dance) that Grace and Kenny reconnect.

It's not as confusing or farfetched as I'm making it out to sound...

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 8:03pm

Bump

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 1:30am

It's obvious that you know your theatre and pay attention to detail, so I like reading your reviews. I'm still new to plays/theatre in general, and I can overlook things.

I saw FROM UP HERE in April around when it first opened, and the other day I found out that's it's playing its last week, so I got my $30 ticket for Saturday's performance. I remember a lot of the play, but I feel like I just have to watch the performances again. I was very impressed with the play and the performances.

It kinda seems like Off-Bway isn't really big on these boards, which is a shame.

[winter_sky]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 2:42am

I thought Julie was fantastic (who is surprised?) and I really liked the girl playing the daughter. Did anyone else think Will Rogers looked a bit like a younger Andy Karl?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 7:11am

I didn't see it, though he got the most applause out of everyone.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 9:28am

I'm seeing this on Saturday afternoon and really looking forward to it. Thanks for your thoughts Yankeefan.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 9:49am

Enjoy! I'm interested in hearing what you thought.

[Patash]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 10:11am

Saw it yesterday and loved the matinee ladies talking afterwards, "no, we never found out what the boy did, but apparently he got into trouble with the law". Duh, did they sleep through the daughter's tale?

I agree totally with the OP's thoughts. But the whole show was so well acted, and brilliantly directed in my book. Such a sense of comedy without being overplayed. Julie White IS wonderful, and somehow everyone else almost matched her ability to make comedy look so easy. While I too would have enjoyed a little more "plot development", the dialogue is so well written for a "first timer". I was really searching for more significance to the aunt's role. Was it simply that she represents an ability to get "up from here" and away from all that dysfunction?

I kind of hate to single anyone out, but that Will Rogers is hysterically funny. And the daughter's impersonation of him was brilliant.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 10:53am

I assumed the aunt's speeches about being "up here" was in regards to Kenny's being on stage at the podium.