‘Up the Down Staircase’ Review
November 16, 2012
TYLER ZSCHACH
ONLINE EDITOR
I was initially enamored by the idea of seeing a mid-1960s classic adapted to ASL in the first student production of the year. Up the Down Staircase depicts the saga of a freshly hired teacher, Sylvia Barrett, played by Lucia Proctor-Bonbright (’14), and her attempt to navigate a treacherous school plagued by unfortunate accidents, disinterested students and extremely overbearing administration members. Barrett is confronted with a mission that is impossible at first and extremely demoralizing, even to the extent where she interviews for another post.
The students of Calvin Coolidge High School have no interest in paying heed to Barrett’s lectures or demonstrating even the most basic gestures of respect, but her endless passion for teaching is evident as she attempts to persevere in the most difficult of teaching environments.
Barrett develops a relationship with one renegade thug of a student, Joe Ferone, played by David Cress (’13), and attempts to turn a moribund school into a respectable establishment. Proctor-Bonbright took the stage by storm with the lead role, and despite being tasked with such a difficult character, performed admirably.
It did not take long for me to realize that I was mistaken in my excitement for the play selection, as it was marred by a terrible script which featured incredibly artificial lines and inconsistencies. In particular, I was left extremely confused why the students were being taught English, discussing Macbeth and taking tests in their homeroom advisories. In addition, certain lines felt awkward and might have been best left out of the play entirely, such as a student who proclaimed “I am a minority,” which was meant to relay a serious tone but came off as a joke.
I was disappointed to see an open mocking of Harry Kagan, played by Colin Sears (’14). While it was clear that the production’s interpretation of Kagan was different from the book and the film, it became evident very quickly that this production’s Kagan was afflicted with some sort of mental disorder such as autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, and it was disheartening to see him used as comic relief for the audience. Social disorders are serious medical conditions and should not be used as a source of humor. The context and basis used to interpret the character were nothing short of offensive and I felt it detracted from the play significantly.
In addition, I felt there was a racial slight in the play that would be better left out. The one student who was evidently of Latin descent, Jose Rodriguez, played by Christian Nguyen (’16), alluded to the fact that he was homeless and was mocked by the other students. It was unclear if this type of profiling was part of the production and a blast from the 1960s-style humor or unintended, but I did feel as if it was present to clearly mock Latin Americans’ social status as inferior to that of Caucasians.
Many actors also seemed slightly confused and distracted periodically throughout the production, which may be a result of opening night jitters, but also seemed like inexperience and lack of proficiency with the script. Notable examples of this were when the students kept looking towards each other while walking backwards during one scene, as well as when actors took occasional breaks in character to reflexively smile at something in the audience.
Two actors in particular stood out as the brightest stars, and their performance alone, if nothing else, may warrant seeing the production over the next few days.
Cress was cast perfectly as Joe Ferone and lived up to the bill of a lead actor. His leadership on set was felt by everyone in the audience, his demeanor was perfect for the role and he projected his voice and demonstrated several refined techniques of an advanced actor. Cress’s interpretation was excellently executed, and his performance was emotionally riveting. It was very cold in the auditorium, but the goosebumps I received were legitimate. I say with little hesitation that, although I am aware plays are group efforts, Cress carried the cast in a captivating fashion, and pushed every button correctly. Cress was by far one of the strongest actors I have seen in any school production in my four years in the High School, through a handful of productions.
Perhaps miscast in a such a minor role with few lines, Emie Nathan (’15) absorbed the role of Linda Rosen with the utmost elegance and charm. Nathan’s acting skill is advanced and graceful, and at times even made me forget that I was watching a play. Though Nathan had few lines, each was executed to perfection and had a perfect tone and pitch for the “class beauty” role she was playing. Singlehandedly, Nathan’s work as a student in Barrett’s class sealed the deal and established a precedent of excellence for supporting characters in future productions. I am eager to see Nathan perform in the next production.
The play was not without its flaws, but was mildly entertaining and suspenseful at times. It was not the finest production the school has seen, but is definitely worth the inconvenient £6 admission fee. Pay special attention to the acting skills of Cress and Nathan, however, as those two were crucial in contributing to the overall success of the play. I eagerly await the next production and commend the work done by Director Buck Herron and the entire cast!
tyler_zschach@asl.org
Anonymous • Nov 24, 2012 at 2:03 pm
What’s happened to the Standard? Horrible review. Completely inaccurate.
Anonymous ;-) • Nov 20, 2012 at 10:40 am
David is going to be famous one day!
Make up your mind • Nov 18, 2012 at 3:06 pm
On the contrary, I thought the play was pretty good. Not only was it well chosen for the students, but the actors executed their roles very well. The play was entertaining and true to the era. It’s also inconsistent how the author first says it was terrible, then goes on to praise two of the actors, who seemed randomly chosen. While they definitely acted well, so did the rest of the cast. Finally, the writer first talks about the miscasting of certain characters and lines in the script which should have been left out, then goes on to praise the director. It’s great to have an opinion, but you really should make up your mind before you embarrass yourself online.
Signed, Serious Student • Nov 18, 2012 at 2:23 pm
If you think ‘I am a minority’ is a joke, then maybe you’re the one who is slightly confused and distracted. And remember, it is (really not so) disheartening to see this article used as comic relief for the standard readers. Horrible Author syndrome is serious problem among journalists like Tyler, and his horrible grammar should not be used as a source of humour. The writing style used to interpret the play was nothing short of offensive and I felt it detracted from the standard significantly.
Signed,
Serious Student
Butthouse blonde • Nov 18, 2012 at 12:43 pm
This is a shockingly poorly written article. This years adaptation of up the down staircase was really bad, but this review both commends and damns the wrong things. The article is confused and incoherent, and above all, really boring. To be honest, this review out symptomatic of the standard’s own decline, and I can’t say I’ve seen anything (not done by fares, who is great) that was at all commendable or worthwhile. It’s because of articles like this, done by people who masquerade as intellectuals but are in reality, just ignorant, that the standard has so profoundly fallen from grace. On a better note, Lucia and matt were superb in the play.
Signed, Neglected • Nov 17, 2012 at 11:48 pm
This article was not without its flaws, but was mildly entertaining and suspenseful at times. It is defiantly not the finest article the Standard has seen, but is definitely worth the inconvenient 6 minutes of time it took me to read it just so I could laugh at the ignorance of some people. Pay special attention to the “I am superior critic” writing style of Tyler however, as he seems to be one of the only people who have this view of the magnificent performance of Up the Down Staircase. I eagerly await the review of the next High School play and hope it is written by someone who knows how to write a proper review, let alone someone who is more knowledgeable in theatre.
As for the cast and crew of Up the Down Staircase, I say magnificent job, you were all superb.
Angryreader • Nov 17, 2012 at 11:42 am
You can’t just write a horrible review of the play and then congratulate the director. If you want to write a review write it properly. Don’t try to be nice to the teacher. I would like to see a better review next time.
Anonymous • Nov 17, 2012 at 10:39 am
HEY, STANDARD! LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE!
ANON • Nov 16, 2012 at 10:27 pm
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all
Anonymous • Nov 18, 2012 at 2:58 pm
You clearly don’t understand what a review is.
Anonymous • Nov 16, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Wrong on almost all counts! Someone should review this article! The author has obviously misunderstood many parts of the plot.
A Disappointed Reader • Nov 16, 2012 at 1:56 pm
I feel like you just butchered their interpretation; if you didn’t like how the play was worded or acted, it’s not the fault of the actors, but the director and author. The faults of a script are not to be attributed to those acting them. I found the play to be quite good considering, as you said, it was first acted in the 60’s. Viewing it in light of its initial social context may help clear up some of the issues you had with it. I also wish your review would have focused more on the acting and production (the choices made by ASL Students) rather than what was out of their control.