Arts/Cultural Event: "From Up Here"

     Last week, I attended Professor Rob Schneider's production of Liz Flahive's comedy, From Up Here. It was performed at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, right past ΣΑΕ and Panera. To preface this post, I'm not typically interested in live performances of plays. However, this particular play seemed to make a strong connection with the audience and really grabbed my attention and kept me very interested and entertained.

A typical argument in the family

     Throughout the play the motives of the actions of the characters as well as the events prior to the opening and unseen to the audience reveal themselves. The story picks up just as a family is struggling to deal with unhappiness, disunity, and legal issues. With an anal retentive matriarch, a son that is suspended for bringing a gun to school, a slutty daughter, a hippie aunt, and an overly-energetic stepfather, the stage is ripe for conflict.

The story of From Up Here encompasses the family's external and internal struggles. Externally, Kenny, the son, has brought a gun to school and pointed it around, causing the family name to bear distaste and to be shunned socially. This single external struggle causes many rifts within the family system. The mother, Grace, cannot handle her nonexistent relationship with her son, as well as her superficial relationship with her newly-married second husband. The husband, Daniel, cannot find his place in the family as he is continually disregarded and disrespected while trying to play a positive parental role. Lauren, Kenny's sister, is a strong-willed, argumentative 15 year old girl struggling to gain attention in school while looking out for her older brother during his time of need. Lastly, Kenny's aunt, Caroline is a vital part of his life that often isn't there. Due to her work in the Peace Corps, she is often in exotic, foreign countries for extended periods of time. Regardless of her lack of time spent with Kenny, she is the one person that he opens up to. It is a very interesting and complex relationship within the family, and, when combined with a complex plot, makes for a great story. I'm not going to explain what exactly happens in the play on here, but I would definitely recommend reading From Up Here by Liz Flahive or even catching it in a live performance.

Professor Schneider laying down the law

     As for the production value, Prof. Rob Schneider and the Penn State Theatre 100 Company did an excellent job. It was interesting to see the same actors that perform in my Theatre 100 class up on stage in a full-fledged, paid production. The set was intricate and authentic, as well as adaptable. With the family's kitchen as a permanent fixture of the stage, other venues were depicted by adding small details to change the kitchen into a completely different scene. Also, I later saw Bridget, who plays Lauren, the sister, at a party at my fraternity. It was sort of like seeing a mini celebrity simply because I didn't realize that the actors/actresses were people as well, partying like the rest of Penn State.

    The next play the Theatre 100 company is putting on is Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd, and I'm sure this will be another great production if it has any similarity to the experience of From Up Here.


Have you seen any recent theatrical productions here at Penn State?

Are you interested in attending future events put on by the Theatre 100 Company?

Do you enjoy long walks on the beach?

Leave it in the comments!

Movie Review: Old School

Gallons of beer, beautiful women, and Will Ferrel... Old School has it all, and more! Produced by Dreamworks Pictures and The Montecito Picture Company, and written by Todd Phillips, the screenwriter for Borat, The Hangover Pt. II, and many other comedies, Old School is a great college movie consisting of strong casting and an extremely comedic plot. This film sets itself apart from other college movies by providing an accurate portrayal of many aspects of college life while maintaining an engaging and incredibly humorous plot. This movie had me laughing out loud often in my dorm room, especially when my roommate walked in just as an old man was preparing to wrestle two topless girls in a pool of KY Lube.

As far as the plot goes, you follow the destruction of the respective relationships of Mitch Martin (Luke Wilson) and Frank "The Tank" Ricard (Will Ferrel) until a point is reached where neither one can continue to live in their own home. When Mitch Martin, a relatively soft-spoken and successful man, comes into possession of a house practically on the campus of the local college, Frank Ricard quickly joins him, along with their third best friend, Bernard "Beanie" Campbell (Vince Vaughn). After throwing a large and successful party, the three men are effectively back to college life, albeit without the academic side. Eventually they even end up creating their own fraternity, which is the trigger for the conflict with the dean of the school.

The characters are incredibly well-cast and have a real depth to them. Of course, Will Ferrel shines as Frank the Tank and is the source of the biggest laughs throughout the film. However, the rest of the casting is high-caliber as well, with numerous celebrity cameos during each scene. Vince Vaughn basically plays his same character from Wedding Crashers, and Luke Wilson plays a confused, slightly unenthusiastic man to the T. Also, the subtle nuances of the characters and comedic side comments from Frank add a great amount of detail to every scene.

"You're my boy, Blue!"

As for the components of the film, itself, the action and plot devices seem like genuine representations of many aspects of college life. I, myself, can relate to the humorous scenes where Will Ferrel is forcing the pledges to clean and do other ridiculous tasks. Also, the plot engages the viewer directly and forces you to root for the three amigos to win over the dean of the school. This is important in a college movie due to the fact that, without an engaging plot, the movie is forgotten and only enjoyed during the screening. This movie really leaves a lasting impression as well as your stomach muscles sore from laughing.

This film is really for anyone looking for a good laugh while following good story. The casting is brilliant and well thought out, and the plot really engages the viewer emotionally. The production value is very high as well, and this movie will not let you down. If you get the chance, I would definitely recommend Old School for a movie night with friends or all by yourself with a tub of ice cream.