Donald Rupe's new musical From Here officially opened Off-Broadway as the Pershing Square Signature Center June 29, and the reviews are rolling in. Running through August 11, the production began performances June 27.
Set in 2016, From Here tells the story of Daniel, a 30-something gay man learning to balance life, love, and family when the Pulse Nightclub shooting changes him and his hometown forever. On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire around 2 AM in Orlando’s Pulse gay nightclub, where more than 300 people were inside. The attack marked one of the deadliest against the LGBTQIA+ community in the nation’s history.
Read the reviews below.
New York Theatre Guide (Caroline Cao)
New York Stage Review (Melissa Rose Bernardo)
TheaterMania (Zachary Stewart)
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Featuring a book, music, and lyrics by Rupe (Flying Lessons), the New York run is led by Blake Aburn as Daniel, Becca Southworth as Becca, and Omar Cardona as Ricky. They are joined by Michelle Coben (Flying Lessons) as Jordan and Jullien Aponte (Milk) as Michael, with the ensemble filled out by Justin Jimenez, Chris Keough, Kendall Leamy, Jerry Mullings, Dee Quintero, Devin Skorupski, and Kyle Ashe Wilkinson. Janine Papin and Kyle Ashe Wilkinson serve as understudies. All cast members are reprising their roles from the world premiere run at Orlando's the Ren earlier this year.
Jason M. Bailey provides arrangements and orchestrations. The band features Noah Baez on keys, Bryce Hayes on bass guitar, Chris Kampmeier on drums, and Matthew Lynxwiler on electric and acoustic guitar.
From Here features scenic and lighting design by Philip Lupo, sound design by Matt Craig, costume design and stage management by J. Marie Bailey and vocal direction by Chris Keough. Choreography is by Adonus Mabry. General management is by Maximum Entertainment Productions. Marketing and advertising are by Situation Interactive. Casting is by Kayla Kelsay Morales.
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