Review: THE VIEW UPSTAIRS, Soho Theatre

The View UpStairs tells the story of the 1973 arson attack on a gay bar in New Orleans, through the lens of a time-travelling millennial who exists as part of the modern day LGBTQ+ community.

This is an important, sensitive story to tell, and the ensemble cast deliver it with the sophistication that you'd expect from such an impressive pool of talent.

Tyrone Huntley is captivating as the neurotic protagonist, Wes, handling the fast-paced dialogue and tricky score deftly. He switches seamlessly between Wes's flamboyant and confident persona, to imbuing him with a sense of deep-rooted insecurity and loneliness. Max Vernon has created Wes to capture the zeitgeist, and thanks to Huntley, he rarely becomes wearing.

Singling out any of the cast feels vastly unfair, as they are all superstars in their own right, but Declan Bennett gives an impressively nuanced performance as the tragically tortured Dale. Decades of abuse and persecution have forced Dale into a life of violence and alcoholism, desperately trying to connect with people, but ultimately shunned by even his own community. It's a tragic tale, and Bennett owns it.

However, Vernon's score never quite lands. There are some catchy melodies - opening track "Some Kind of Paradise" is performed with confident swagger by John Partridge as ageing muso Buddy - but the majority of the score feels tonally erratic and doesn't drive the narrative as emotively as one would wish for such dramatic subject matter.

The relationships between these characters are what drive the show, and there are many tender, thought-provoking moments - notably between Garry Lee as drag queen Freddy and the ever-glorious Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as his mother, Inez.

The budding romance between Wes and Andy Mientus's Patrick is set up as the central love story, but needs more development earlier on in the book to make their transition from acquaintance to lovers believable. Mientus, in his British stage debut, is probably most familiar to British audiences as sensitive songwriter Kyle in Smash, and fans of his won't be disappointed in his delicate portrayal.

The quality of the material doesn't quite match the unrivalled talent of the people delivering it, so as a vehicle for their skills, The View UpStairs is somewhat limiting. But the concept of a time-shifting protagonist entering the troubled world that existed before him is a fantastic way to remind the audience of how far we have come, and, sadly, how far we have yet to go to achieve a utopia of total acceptance.

The View UpStairs at Soho Theatre until 24 August

Photo credit: Darren Bell

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