From Up Here

Manhattan Theater Club
New York City Center

I haven’t seen any real theater lately. Let’s be honest. And, my love of theater was reignited last night at From Up Here.

I’ll just say it—Julie White is the best. This was a good fit for her talent and she’s such a joy to watch. I just relax when she’s onstage and just relish the moment. I’ve only seen her twice, in The Little Dog Laughed and here (and in Six Feet Under, but that doesn’t’ count). But, I’m convinced and I want to see her in much, much more.

And, even better, she was in a strong ensemble cast. She was surrounded by good acting with a decent script.

This was a play with a significant amount of body language on display. The actors regularly physically reacted to one another. The climax of the play contained pitch-perfect body language between Julie White and Tobias Segal sitting on a bench in a police station and she’s leaning towards him, he’s leaning away and it’s apparent that she is respecting him and his space and will not touch him, even though she so desperately wants to. The tension and the sadness are both resolved when he finally touches her a little bit later in the scene. It's also the tail end of a killer monologue given by White.

From Up Here is a family drama that revolves around an incident at school where the son has waved a gun around and written a list out of the people he would like dead. He is now monitored by adults 24 hours a day, both at school and at home. This includes his stepfather, his aunt, his mother, the school guidance counselor and all of the faculty and staff of the high school. He also has to apologize to the entire school, which is difficult because the other kids were cruel to him before the incident.

There are elements of the Fall from the Bible in play, faint elements, but they are there. When the play opens all of the woman are shown shirtless at one point or another, and they are oblivious to the fact that they are half naked for the other characters on stage and the audience. I think this is a reference to Adam and Eve not knowing they are naked in Eden, “They were both naked…and they were not ashamed.” This is a stretch, but I can’t think of any other point for two of the female characters to first walk out on stage without their shirts on.

Additionally, at the end of the play the aunt sends a postcard where she mentions the Fall of a mountain climber. Again, I think this is a reference to the Fall from grace of both the mother, son and sister in the play. I think this is part of the heart of the drama. In this scenario, then, the stepfather would represent a constant, loving presence amidst trauma.

For the play’s heavy topic, this is a light play. And, one that is easy to love if just for the fine ensemble cast and its presentation and what I’m starting to think of as my favorite theater.

Should you see it? Of course. And, I’m starting to think I should have season tickets to MTC. However, that would make me the only season ticket holder under 80 and I’m not sure I’m ready to do that, yet. Maybe in 45 years or so.