A REVIEW OF THE NEW OFF BROADWAY PLAY
By Jeremy Friedman, Senior, Curtis High School
Within the first ten minutes of From Up Here, two major characters make their entrances half-dressed and unashamed. It might get one to start wondering, "What kind of show is this?" Well, it's a show about a family in which the stepdad forgets to pick up the dry cleaning, of course (What kind of show were you thinking of?).
From Up Herebegins on a school morning, in the kitchen of a humorously semi-dysfunctional family. As they struggle to get ready and get out of the house, they squabble over breakfast, lunches, barking dogs, and neglected dry cleaning. It's a familiar scene, but there's also an unusual amount of tension in the room. It is Kenny's first day back at high school since…well, we don't know quitewhat yet, and we won't find out until much later in the play. Kenny is an extremely distraught, awkward kid in a lot of pain; whatever incident took place prior to his absence from school was considerably serious. He is now apparently under constant adult supervision, mandated to attend counseling, and subjected to frequent bag searches. Meanwhile his mother, Grace, is clearly trying to keep the family as "normal" as possible.
"From Up Here begins on a school morning, in the kitchen of a humorously semi-dysfunctional family"
The characters of the core family are established very early on. In the role of Kenny, Tobias Segal, a talented actor, has mastered every little nuance of the character, and never wavers from start to finish. His hunched form, every little twitch and eye movement and every flicker of anguish that crosses his face, all add to the realism of the character. Aya Cash plays Lauren, Kenny's sister, one of the few people that Kenny lets get close to him. She is a pleasure to watch, as she exudes a fine blend of the sarcasm and candor of a modern teenage girl, and the deep affection that she feels for her brother. Daniel, the nice-guy stepdad, is played with sincerity by Brian Hutchison. While a relative newcomer to the family, Daniel really cares about them, and tries in earnest to get the kids to like him, as well as be a husband and a father figure. Last but not least, in this pseudo-nuclear family is Kenny's mother, Grace, played by a gifted Julie White. She must use her strong will power as a mother to lead the family through their struggles and dysfunctionality without suffering a minor breakdown herself.
As the play develops, we slowly gain more and more insight into each character, receiving bits of information about Kenny's major incident. We also get introduced to a few other characters, such as Aunt Caroline, a rather free spirit, traveling the world, camping in the woods and smoking marijuana. Caroline has a special connection with Kenny; she seems to be the only adult he feels completely comfortable with. There are also other teens from school, such as Kate and Charlie. Kate is an overachiever who seemingly tries to help Kenny, but her motives are far from pure. Goofily awkward Charlie apparently lacks any self-consciousness and has a crush on his sister Lauren.
From Up Here is well written and well acted, and maintains a smart balance between comedy and the more heavy aspects of the story. And it really has some effective moments. It is not, however, a perfect play. It tries to go in a few too many directions. It opens many cans of worms, and only resolves some of them. But ultimately, From Up Here is on the mark much more frequently than it isn't. Regardless of its problems, I would highly recommend this unique family comedy that also deals with some pretty deep issues.
From Up Here by Liz Flahive. o $25 student rush from noon day of, up to half-hour before show time.Through June 8. o City Center, 131 W. 55 St. www.mtc-nyc.org
High school farces are always fun, and Saved brings the same-named movie, which skewered Christian high school social life, to the stage in tongue-in-cheek musical form. Hot young playwright and musical writers Rinne Groff and Michael Friedman have joined writer John Dempsey to translate this satirical story to the stage. After all, what would you do if you were one of the most popular girls at American Eagle Christian High School, and your boyfriend told you he was gay?
Saved by Michael Friedman, John Dempsey and Rinne Groff. o Students $15 one hour before the show. o Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42 St. www.playwrightshorizons.org