The View Upstairs?

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 1/22/17 at 9:42pm

Just saw an add for this musical. I love new gay musicals but haven't heard much about this except for the press release. Went to the website to try to hear the music but there's nothing on there. Anyone know if it's any good?

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 8:11am

Anyone see this yet?  

[gallerygirl]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 11:32am

It's wonderful. Funny, terrific score, great performances and ultimately very moving. The audience went crazy at the preview I attended.

[ALittleFallofRain]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 11:30am

I've heard good things. Seeing it this weekend. Excited to see a musical based on this little-known piece of LGBT history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UpStairs_Lounge_arson_attack

[JVJ93]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 7:15pm

Anyone know of any rush policy or cheap ticket promotion for this? Im very curious to check it out 

[PJPan]

Posted: 2/22/17 at 1:36pm

I'm looking to sell my Friday 2/24 ticket for the 6:30 show - PM me if interested.

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 2/22/17 at 2:06pm

PJPan - messaged you!

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/22/17 at 3:58pm

Here is a preview of the music:

 

http://www.theatermania.com/video/the-view-upstairs-previews-tunes-from-its-original_1177.html?cid=homepage_news

[nolanativeny]

Posted: 2/23/17 at 4:27pm

I definitely want to try to make it to see this. As a gay New Orleans native (not sure if that's obvious from my screen name ) this story is intimately meaningful to me. I'm glad to hear that it is done well. 

[NYCtheater]

Posted: 2/24/17 at 9:49am

I sent MadonnaMusical a PM a few days ago about comp tickets, but I haven't heard back. MadonnaMusical - are you interested?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/24/17 at 11:35am

If she doesn't I will! I follow the scenic designer on IG and the set looks awesome!

[petewk87]

Posted: 2/24/17 at 6:06pm

This sounds amazing -- would love to hear more about the show from those who have seen it!

[mpkie]

Posted: 2/27/17 at 9:39pm

JVJ93 said: "Anyone know of any rush policy or cheap ticket promotion for this? Im very curious to check it out "

Looks like it's part of 2-for-1 Off-Broadway Week from now through March 12.

http://www.nycgo.com/events/the-view-upstairs

Report back if anyone checks it out!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 2/27/17 at 10:08pm

It's on TDF for seemingly most of the run. 

[corthomas]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 10:12am

Any update on a possible rush policy? Very interested in seeing this show in April!

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 11:44pm

NYCtheater said: "I sent MadonnaMusical a PM a few days ago about comp tickets, but I haven't heard back. MadonnaMusical - are you interested?

 

"

Thank you, I didn't notice I had a message. I already saw the show last week though. I'd normally leave my review here, but if you're with the show... I now feel awkward about it lol. I'll just say - outstanding cast, great set design, and the writer has a lot of potential. The show could use a lot more development... a few more drafts... but it has a lot of potential. 

[barbraboy19902]

Posted: 3/1/17 at 9:13pm

Any reviews on this show?

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 3:10pm

I think I am going to grab a ticket to see it next week. Some good discounts for it.

[dave1606]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 3:44pm

I saw this last week and mostly enjoyed it. The set design is fantastic. They really transformed that space into a bar. (I wish it was a working one!). 

The show and cast are mostly great. My one issue is with the conceit of a modern day man going "back in time" to the 1970s. It wasn't needed. I think the show would have said everything it needed to say by starting and ending in the 1970s. As it currently stands, the modern day stuff is out of place and having this modern day character speak modern day referneces to characters in the 70s who have no idea what he is talking about ("I feel like I'm on Project Runway, Our president is orange etc" is cringeworthy and makes no sense.

But, the cast of characters in the bar are all great. Nathan Lee Graham is absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed Taylor Frey as well. I think the story is well told, but would have been even better without this added conceit. 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 3:51pm

I completely agree. It also seemed like all modern references were already dated. I even feel like some things the 1973 characters said seemed a bit modern (but I'm not an expert on the etymology of drag queens saying "shady bitch".

It didn't help the majority of the cast kept going off key in their solos. The only character I really felt anything for was Dale, expertly played by Ben Mayne. 

I liked it enough, or the idea anyway, and kept thinking it needs a book writer/dramaturg/stronger director to really focus it and polish it. I'd also replace a few cast members, but that might just be me.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 3:54pm

Yea! Fimally some comments on the show!

How was the music. I like what I heard in the clip I posted above.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 6:07pm

 

I feel bad ragging on a show that’s so earnest and heart-on-its-sleeve and attempting to illuminate a piece of gay history worth illuminating, but I thought TVU was really… really not good. The music is an unmelodic and bland tapestry of era-specific homage cum generic showtune sounds. Even when you do find yourself in a little groove with it here and there, you won’t remember why the second the song ends.

 

The lyrics are worse and on par with the dialogue. You won’t need your own thoughts because nearly everything that comes from the characters’ mouths is as subtle as a brickbat. They all say exactly what’s on their mind, all the time, every time, and it’s usually platitudinal. It’s all tell and no show.

 

The magical realism is confusing. The ‘70s characters are baffled by a smartphone – rightly so – but later on seem to understand the social conventions and mechanics of app usage when it’s important for our contemporary hero to have a conversation with them about their merits, with no substantial explanation ever having been given to the past-era characters. The show is full of head-scratchers like that.

 

The set truly is terrific, and Nathan Lee Graham is a treasure. God bless him for making so much out of this material. His centerpiece monologue is likely the only content I’ll remember about this show five years from now. Oh, and Taylor Frey wears these tight blue pants throughout which you can distract yourself with when your mind wanders… and that may be frequently.

 

Intellectually speaking, a story in which a 21st-century gay gets to exchange ideas firsthand with ‘70s-era gays about their respective foibles and joys and culture-specific mores etc could be richly mined for drama. It could also be heavy-handed and preachy. TVU most definitely falls prey to being the latter.

 

Now…all that being said, I don’t regret seeing it. It’s still a scrappy little new downtown musical with flashes of possibility and, as I said, a big heart. I didn’t expect much going in and was still let down. So, if you go – and you should – expect a sort of repetitive, super-gay after-school musical special with all of your favorite gay cultural tokens each getting Their Big Moment to Shine. Oh, and those blue pants.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 7:35pm

themysteriousgrowl said: " 

I feel bad ragging on a show that’s so earnest and heart-on-its-sleeve and attempting to illuminate a piece of gay history worth illuminating, but I thought TVU was really… really not good. The music is an unmelodic and bland tapestry of era-specific homage cum generic showtune sounds. Even when you do find yourself in a little groove with it here and there,

you won’t remember why the second the song ends.

 

The lyrics are worse and on par with the dialogue. You won’t need your own thoughts because nearly everything that comes from the characters’ mouths is as subtle as a brickbat. They all say exactly what’s on their mind, all the time, every time, and it’s usually platitudinal. It’s all tell and no show.

 

The magical realism is confusing. The ‘70s characters are baffled by a smartphone – rightly so – but later on seem to understand the social conventions and mechanics of app usage when it’s important for our contemporary hero to have a conversation with them about their merits, with no substantial explanation ever having been given to the past-era characters. The show is full of head-scratchers like that.

 

The set truly is terrific, and Nathan Lee Graham is a treasure. God bless him for making so much out of this material. His centerpiece monologue is likely the only content I’ll remember about this show five years from now. Oh, and Taylor Frey wears these tight blue pants throughout which you can distract yourself with when your mind wanders… and that may be frequently.

 

Intellectually speaking, a story in which a 21st-century gay gets to exchange ideas firsthand with ‘70s-era gays about their respective foibles and joys and culture-specific mores etc could be richly mined for drama. It could also be heavy-handed and preachy. TVU most definitely falls prey to being the latter.

 

Now…all that being said, I don’t regret seeing it. It’s still a scrappy little new downtown musical with flashes of possibility and, as I said, a big heart. I didn’t expect much going in and was still let down. So, if you go – and you should – expect a sort of repetitive, super-gay after-school musical special with all of your favorite gay cultural tokens each getting Their Big Moment to Shine. Oh, and those blue pants.

 

"

Ok well... I'm not alone in my thoughts. It's worth catching  for the tight pants and the monologue alone, but I don't understand why we had to hear a story about the 70's through the lens of a 2017 fashion designer wannabe... the character should have been cut. The conceit felt as if the author was writing himself into the show for no other reason than lack of research on the details. The romance was not believable nor were the motives of any action taken throughout. Still... proud to see that young gay writers are writing new gay fiction and casting out talent! I will watch this writer but I suggest he work with a book writer next time. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/16/17 at 1:21am

I posted my thoughts on one of those ticket advice threads. But to sum up...

The set is great and the music is inoffensively catchy. It's not great songwriting but it evokes an era of popular music that earworms into your brain in a pleasant way... it's not great for storytelling though. Everyone's a stereotype. Most of the modern humor... Instagram, millennials, etc. didn't work for me. But I think it's heart was in the right place and it was worth going just for Nathan Lee Graham. While I thought the actor playing the main character wasn't bad (his singing voice seemed a little weak at times) that conceit really seemed to be the biggest weakness of the show. At best, it was a well-meaning way to force in that Trump speech and try to get young people motivated... though they already are. At worst, it was another tired structural cliche. Like, the workaholic dad who learns he needs to spend more time with his kids. Or the career woman who moves to a small town where she learns what's really important in life. Or the person who has become too Americanized who needs to go back and get in touch with their roots. I can't think of the right word right now but it has a very conservative POV about young people spending too much time on their phones and needing to learn what's really important from "insert stereotype here." 

But I thought it was mostly enjoyable (if a little too long). There have definitely been shows that were harder to sit through.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/16/17 at 8:19am

 

At 105 minutes with no intermission, it feels long. I’d rather have had three less songs and 15 minutes off the runtime.

But eliminating the modern-day surrogate would result in an entirely different show. TVU is as much about the push-and-pull of confronting changing times and what particles of our past – both personal and communal – we accumulate and shed on our journeys as it is about the crew of the UpStairs Lounge.

So, sure, you could theoretically cut that character and be left with a “day in the life” 1970s story. But I thought the time-travel/hallucination device which allows for that added layer to be one of the show’s biggest strengths, ham-fistedly executed tho it be.