Shameless Plug and Reviews

The show has made the review circuit now, and the press has been pretty consistently positive. Here's a smattering:

DC Theatre Reviews did double duty for us, and we love them for that.

Here, and here.

Walter Ruff wrote, "To say Upshot is one cool piece of theatre would be accurate, but that statement alone would not do it justice. Ami Dayan's play is highly entertaining and full of dark humor. Unique ideas and presentation make Upshot a production you should include in your fall theatre plans."

And Luke Edward wrote, "Upshot is host to impressive performances, most notably Jason Lott's Man, John's written character who finds himself the last human being on the planet. (With) humorous dialogue and a plot of infinite wit... It emerges upon the stage as a sort of elastic one act, stretched to two hours yet concise enough in plot and portrayal to hold attention. Upshot is entertainment as it should be, and Forum Theatre and Dance's production is more than worth a visit."

I promise that I am not related to either of these men.

City Paper's review is here.

My favorite quote from Winters is her closing: (The character) John progresses from a mere Matthew Broderick harried Everyguy to the protagonist of a spectacular scene near the end in which, "becoming" Man, he recounts that lost soul's visit to a deserted theater: "Is anybody here? Hello? Can you hear me? Empty seats? Come, help me. Bring back, revive the souls, the spirits of those who were inside you, who sat inside you, who rubbed their life force into you." As (actor) Graham delivered this speech, with Lott and Nelson sitting in the aisles next to us few outsiders, I felt a chill that wasn't from the air conditioning.

Winters also does not shy away from mentioning the fact of our very, very small house on the afternoon that she saw the show. We like her candor.

The Washington Post reviewer (review here) had a lot of issues with the actual play, which is a risk any theater takes with a world premiere. The play has not yet stood the test of time.

Fortunately, the Post review is still quite complimentary to the production, actors, and design.

Actor Jason Lott deserves all the praise he gets here: "Lott flings himself into the role with such gusto and agility that the narrative acquires a suspenseful urgency. The actor clambers over the pedestal-like cubes that stand about the stage; he stares dazedly into space, face wracked by the sights of the apocalypse; he arcs himself into an agonized backbend that would do credit to Mary Lou Retton."

The other actors also get their due: "Graham and Nelson are likable and energetic as the conflicted John and Helen, and Nelson also gives pizazz to two subsidiary fantastical characters." and the designers get much deserved mentions.

Finally, Bob Anthony's review. Mr. Anthony is something of Washington Theater legend. He apparently won the lottery some years back and started up his review website because he so loved the DC theater scene. Or something like that. Check out the site, scroll down a bit for the review.

Anyhow, that's it right now. Any one in the DC area... come see the show! Bring a copy of this post, and you get $5 off a ticket. Since tickets are only $15-$18 to begin with, you can't get a better deal than that.

Phew. All done. Shameless plug over and out.