‘View Upstairs’ musically salutes victims of an early anti-gay hate crime
Before the Orlando shooting at the Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016, in which the largest mass killing of gay people in American history took place, there was an equally horrendous arson fire on June 24, 1973 at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans. Though that event is largely ignored and forgotten since it occurred at a time of pernicious anti-gay stigma. Churches even refused to bury the victims’ remains, such was the fear of acknowledging LBGT members in their congregations. Many of the 32 victims had never even come out to their families, with four buried in unmarked graves in a potter’s field. Thankfully, times have changed with outpourings of grief in the public media from politicians and everyday people following last year’s Orlando massacre. There is, unfortunately, still a long way to go in obtaining true equality for all people.
As the first show in its 2017-2018 season, Celebration, the 35-year-old company dedicated to producing LBGT-themed productions, presents the West Coast premiere of the Off-Broadway hit musical, THE VIEW UPSTAIRS, with book, music and lyrics by Max Vernon. This gripping, heartfelt and provocative new musical that pulls you inside the world of the historic 1970s New Orleans gay bar, before, during, and after the tragedy, is staged with tight choreography by Cate Caplin, musical direction by Jake Anthony, with director Michael A. Shepperd at the helm. I encourage everyone to see it to open your eyes to what is sure to become a cult phenomenon similar to Jonathan Larson’s RENT, which brought to light a bohemian Alphabet City gay community during the onset of AIDS in the late 1980s.
The year 1973 comes to life when Wes (Matthew Hancock), a young fashion designer from 2017, buys the abandoned space where The UpStairs Lounge once existed, hoping to revive the place to honor the LGBT culture, past and present, when he opens a boutique there. His vision sets off an exhilarating journey of seduction and self-exploration during which he meets many of the victims, whom we first get to meet as a group of closeted people looking to connect with others in a safe place.
There’s piano man Buddy (Music Director Jake Anthony), young drag queen Freddy (Rehyan Rivera, who excels in the role with his physicality), and bar proprietress Henri (Benai Boyd) who concedes there is an incredibly different “World Outside These Walls.” But their joyous opening number, “Some Kind of Paradise,” lets us know how they feel about this sanctuary masquerading as a mere drinking establishment.
When cute hustler Patrick (handsome and tall Darren Bluestone) asks Wes to go home with him, Wes refuses, referring to 2017 trademark social media sites as the way he usually gets to know men first. But this is 1973, and Wes opens up to how men got together at the time during Patrick’s “What I Did Today,” from which their love story blossoms.
The bar’s old queen Willie, played with joyous abandon by Pip Lilly, dazzles with his over-the-top, desire-to-gain-attention presence. Armed with the essential prop of a hand fan, he will continuously keep you laughing with his authentic, as well as extravagant, performance. Gay church pastor Richard (Pat Towne) leads the catch-all “I want” song, “Are You Listening, God?” Freddy and his mom, Inez (the magnificent Chala Savino), prepare for an impromptu drag show in “Completely Overdone,” during which, thanks to Michael Mullen’s amazing costumes, Rivera and Savino sparkle and dazzle your eyes, as does the entire cast during the musical finale of the show!
Shy bar misfit Dale (Joey Ruggiero) is mostly ignored by the other patrons, singing about his invisibility in “Better Than Silence,” a song that addresses his poverty, an on-going stigma in the gay community where jobs were not (and still are not) often available. Hints that he is the one who started the fire seem to be given, though never acknowledged as reality.
Quoting the program note from director Michael A. Shepperd, whose uncanny ability to direct big shows on such a small stage always amazes me, “In choosing THE VIEW UPSTAIRS as the opener of our “Be Who You Are, No Matter What – a season of living out loud” at Celebration, we are taking a stand. We are saying that we will continue to look at our history for inspiration and use it as a guide to create change, but we will not let society repeat it.” To round out the season, I look forward to his direction of Celebration’s upcoming musical productions, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “Cabaret.”
“The View Upstairs” continues through Sunday, Oct. 29 at Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. Hollywood. Performances on Thursdays, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket Prices; $25; $35 Reserved; $45 House Seats. Call 323-957-1884 or visit celebrationtheatre.com to purchase ticket.