'From Here' is a new musical written entirely by Donald Rupe in response to a homophobic shooting at a night club in Orlando, Florida exactly four years' ago.
The show centres around the life of Daniel, (Blake Aburn), a 31 year old creative writing teacher who is openly gay, and as he tells his story, speaking directly to the audience, we watch him as he lives his somewhat disconnected and misdirected life, moving from one boyfriend, Michael (Peter Held) to a serious relationship, Ricky (Erick Perafan), and calling his mother (Sarah-Lee Dobbs) every day, despite knowing she won't ever answer. In one of his soliloquies early on we learn that his dad left home and the reason he left was that he knew his son was gay - and his mum has never been able to forgive him for that.
The musical, and story, do take a little too long to get going and find its feet, but once it does, the mixture of drama, pathos, tragedy, romance etc is like a condensed Shakespeare. All the ingredients are there, and the cast cope with them excellently. There is sympathy, empathy and chemistry between the performers, and although the story is somewhat predictable, it is still advisable to have a box of tissues at the ready.
The cathartic moment arrives more than half way through the show, and it is the moment the characters learn of the shooting at Pulse Night Club, and the impact that has on them and their friends and family. It does bring him back together with his mother though, and just as you think the musical is going to end: he has his mother back, he is in love and has a good thing going with his boyfriend (who coincidentally also happens to be employed by his mum!) it doesn't! No, it's too neat, and it needs a little more unravelling first, and so, the musical is extended further and some 40 minutes' later it all starts to work out right again. I like the musical and the concept, but it does feel overlong and has sections in it with very little to do or say, and the narrative becomes entrenched in nothingness. I understand the reasoning behind this I think, and the wanting that the audience feel and emote with the previous happenings before moving on, but this isn't an art-house European film, it's a Fringe Musical, and so I did feel there was a need to keep it flowing more, and certain scenes could easily have been cut altogether.
What the musical does do however is unite a community. It highlights the shooting as a real tragedy which affected not just the gays but the whole community, the whole city, nay, the whole country. They saw that they were not the only ones being targetted, and the city responded with love and kindness and understanding.
Acting on a street map of Orlando and surrounding area, with hearts, I assume depicting the homes of those lost in the shooting (?), and the 6-piece band away on one side of the stage, it was a simple set, and yet, it really didn't need much more; the performances were real and emotive, and although the characters in the musical were not depicting real people, it was based on real events, and that is something we should never froget.
A heart-warming tale (in the end) told with humour and sensitivity, of friendship, love, romance, family and community resolve.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26/6/20
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