NEW YORK—Being alone on a high mountaintop or a windswept beach may do wonders for the soul but it doesn't always help in regard to human interactions, as Liz Flahive shows in her very interesting comedy-drama, From Up Here.
In a Midwest suburban neighborhood, Kenny (Tobias Segal), a withdrawn and oft-teased high school student, makes a faint-hearted attempt at revenge against his tormenters.
While the action is quickly nipped in the bud, (indeed Kenny may not have really meant to do more than scare anyone), the town and "normal" society, all-too familiar with recent campus tragedies, are quick to rush to judgment. Kenny now cannot go anywhere without being accompanied by an adult; he must go home directly after school, and his bags must be searched regularly for dangerous objects.
While these steps may make everyone outside his family feel better, it also serves to make Kenny feel more alienated and angry then before. (He also has to make an apology in front of the entire school.)
Not surprisingly, the situation has put a major strain on Kenny's family, including his fiercely protective sister Lauren (Aya Cash), stepfather Daniel (Brian Hutchison-who's despised by Kenny and Lauren), and mother Grace (Julie White), who is trying to sell their home to give the family a fresh start somewhere else.
Coming into the situation unawares, like the audience-who gets the information in dribs and drabs-is Grace's globetrotting sister Caroline (Arija Bareikis).
As everyone tries to get back to normal, and as the pieces of the puzzle Flahive has laid out slowly begin to come together, Kenny and Lauren each receive some unexpected attention. Lauren from Charlie, an awkward nerdy type (wonderfully played by Will Rogers), who's smitten with her; and Kenny from Kate (Jenni Barber), a pretty student who becomes perhaps the one person he can open up to. However both relationships take rather unexpected turns and in one case, carries potentially serious consequences.
Watching the play is akin to walking through an emotional minefield with numerous characters about to explode in anger, pain, frustration and an inability to connect with one another. Forms of coping include throwing things, going to the movies alone, running to the other side of the world, and finding someone to tightly hold on to.
By the time the play is over there are no sweeping statements, no major changes and no final solutions. But for those involved, the potential for healing has finally been set in motion.
While Kenny is the most outwardly affected by the various events, it's Grace who is closest to coming apart. White does a good job in the role of a woman trying to balance the needs of her family with those of the community, while desperately trying to find a way to reach out to her son—and also not go to pieces in the process.
Grace's reactions are a marked contrast to Caroline's more free-spirited ways, ones which provide a barrier to commitment and responsibility on her part, as well as an excuse for not getting too close to those who need her.
Also quite strong is Hutchinson as Daniel, who is basically the unappreciated glue that holds the family together. Most telling is when he remarks to Caroline that he can handle being disliked by Grace's kids right now, as just being needed will do, with such terms as "like" and "love" to eventually follow. Segal is good as the alienated Kenny, someone who appears to be on a constant hair-trigger, while Cash works well as his somewhat more grounded sister.
Leigh Silverman's direction keeps things moving nicely and the sets by Allen Moyer (especially the one of the family kitchen) and costumes by Mattie Ullrich are also very good.
Also in the cast is Joel Van Liew.
From Up Here
Presented by Manhattan Theatre Club
New York City Center-Stage 1
131 West 55th Street
Tickets: 212-581-1212 or www.nycitycenter.org
Information: www.manhattantheatreclub.com
Running Times: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes
Closes: June 8, 2008
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London newspaper The Stage.
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