“THE VIEW UPSTAIRS” IS A NEW MUSICAL ABOUT “ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ATTACKS AGAINST THE LGBT COMMUNITY”

From: Wicked

 A new musical entitled The Room Upstairs, written by Max Vernon and directed by Scott Ebersold, focuses on the fire that broke out at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans back in 1973 which killed 32 people. The show has been in development for four and a half years, and after countless rewrites and changes it is finally being brought to life.

“The View UpStairs pulls you inside the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant ‘70s gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans,” reports Towleroad.

 “This forgotten community comes to life in all its gritty, glam rock glory when a young fashion designer from 2017 buys the abandoned space, setting off an exhilarating journey of seduction and self-exploration that spans two generations of queer history. Inspired by one of the most significant yet all-but-ignored attacks against the LGBTQ community, The View UpStairs examines what has been gained and lost in the fight for equality, and how the past can help guide all of us through an uncertain future.”  

“The View UpStairs is about the queer community and what’s changed over the last 40 years in our march towards equality; what’s better or worse and it also tells the story of the UpStairs lounge which was a gay bar in 1973 in New Orleans,” says Vernon, who also wrote the show’s music and the lyrics.

The show will feature  Jeremy Pope, Taylor Frey, Frenchie Davis, Benjamin Howes, Michael Longoria, Ben Mayne, Doreen Montalvo, Randy Redd, Richard E. Waits, and Anthony Alfaro. Beginning on with an Off-Broadway run on February 26 with the production running until May 21.

“The questions of ‘Are we better? Are we worse?’ I think are more pressing than ever,” concludes Vernon.

You can buy tickets here.