Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Heart-Rending And Hilarious
I saw a great play Sunday, 'From Up Here,' an impressive debut by Liz Flahive, an insightful, unflinching take on a serious topic - a work that's prone to induce howling laughter and tears..I don't want to give away too much - I suggest you see it, and if you don't, see some other good play, because theater, at its best, is a cathartic and very necessary experience.
It's the story of a mother coming unglued at a stress point - her son Kenny is returning to high school, several months of therapy and pills after he was sidelined for a disturbing incident. Kenny, as indelibly etched by the brilliant Tobias Segal, must be supervised and monitored 24/7 and prepare an apology to the student body, and he's feeling ever more miserable and alienated. Family life has already been quite strained by re-marriage, drive-by relatives, and forgotten dry cleaning..
The lead role of Kenny's mother, Grace, is played by the brilliant Julie White, last year's Tony/Obie Best Actress for 'The Little Dog That Laughed,' is awesome - the whole cast is terrific. (I didn't even recognize White from her memorable stint on Six Feet Under as a nasty executive of billion-dollar corporation trying to drive a family-fun funeral home out of business.)
Here's Julie White talking about the play with lots of great pictures form the production...
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