The View UpStairs
Off-Broadway at the Lynn Redgrave Theatre at Culture Project
Welcome to the UpStairs Lounge located on the 2nd floor, corner of Chartres and Iberville Streets, New Orleans, LA. Unoccupied since 1973, Wes (Jeremy Pope), a young up-and-coming fashion designer has moved from N.Y. to buy the dilapidated, once-gay piano bar. His dream is to start a new life and his very own house of couture.
As he contemplates the space, he is visited by ghosts of the past, if you will. The gay characters that once inhabited this space, back in a time when being out and gay wasn’t easy, tell their story one by one through song and dance. While Wes is our protagonist, the ensemble cast all have their moments in spotlight. The resident lesbian, Henri(etta), clad in butch dyke leather was the swing for Frenchie Davis on the night I attended. I love me some Frenchie, but April Ortiz and her outstanding voice convinced me I was not missing a thing. This cast is full of street cred. The sweet, baby faced Freddie with the sweet pipes is none other than former Jersey Boy, Michael Longoria. Longoria takes resident drag queen Aurora Whorealis to new heights -- complete with torpedo tits that shoot confetti. Freddy’s mother Inez (Nancy Ticotin) is a feisty Latina in full support of her gay son. Grammy award-winning Nathan Lee Graham is provocative and explosive in the role of Willie, the old queen who belts out tunes with ease and prances around in his flashy wardrobe and tight 70’s fro. Patrick (Taylor Frey), is Wes' sexy love interest. Piano player Buddy (Randy Redd), plays it straight to ward off the heat, while Richard (Benjamin Howes), a man of God and the trick Dale (Ben Mayne) round out this perfectly harmonized cast.
Pope has a voice filled with emotion that leads you deep into his fantasy with the rest of these players. In a particularly somber moment, Wes realizes the ghosts have no idea what lies ahead of them: the thing that divides their past and our present, the one thing perhaps more evil than the discrimination they've lived through -- AIDS. It’s a story of awareness and social conscience. We see how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go.
Jason Sherwood has transformed the entire theatre into the bar. A white baby grand piano decorated in fringe and tacky stickers anchor the set. Neon beer signs glow red, and an old cigarette vending machine is parked against a wall add eerie ambiance. The cast moves about the entire theatre, and If you are lucky to be seated at one of the small tables, they will most likely interact with you directly. The décor is pure kitsch, and if you’re old enough and gay enough, you might even recall a place like this in your past.
Wes is finally brought back to reality and the present day 2017, but not before becoming fully conscious of the sad and remarkable events that occurred at this place in 1973. The emotional finale is one you won't soon forget.
Inspired by true and tragic events, The View UpStairs is a super gay musical with an enormous heart and one you will not want to miss. This is a new musical by Max Vernon and directed by Scott Ebersold. See it before it closes on 5/21/17. For tickets and more information visit the website at http://www.theviewupstairs.com/ and check for available discounts at my website here. -ThisbroadSway 4/13/2017