Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 311 – April 12, 2017

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The View UpStairs
BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
When the lights dim at the Lynn Redgrave Theatre at
Culture Project in New York City, all eyes are glued to the
cabaret, gay bar set, and the appearance of the handsome
Orlando-born, actor, singer and entertainer Jeremy Pope.
After speaking with Pope, I soon knew exactly why he was
cast in the role of Wes in "The View UpStairs.”
The tragic story of "Upstairs," where an act of arson
destroyed the lives of 32 people in a New Orleans gay bar in 1973, is a
sensitive and heartwarming portrayal of the characters who might have
frequented it.
A young, cocky fashion designer Wes, played by Pope from the year 2017, is
set to buy the property, cell phone in hand, and is magically transported back
in time to 1973, just before the fateful fire. There he meets the residents of the
bar and learns several valuable lessons.
The play stirs much emotion: a blast of comedy, a sense of pride and the
history of something that never should have happened, just like the Pulse
Nightclub disaster. Before leaving the theatre, you easily fell in love with the
characters, and knew them well, and mourned their deaths. However, survivor
Wes stood out as a tender, confused product of our society, who learned a
sobering tutorial on communication, interaction, history and love.
I feel like the play
portrays so much history
and knowledge of the
community, and is so
relevant now. How did you
get the part?
So, I auditioned for it back in
November. I read the script,
and it was weird, because
I didn’t know at the time
that the fire had happened
in 1973. So I was kind of
blown away by it. So I went
in and auditioned for Max
(the show’s writer), and I was
called back, and it just kind
of felt right. As I was reading
the character Wes, I saw the
opportunity for the character
to be over the top and funny,
but I knew that in order for
that to work we needed a
trade off of a character that
is sensitive and willing to
embrace being a character
that is going to change his
outlook by the end of the
play. I thought it was very
important to show this reality
of the character but also
stay grounded and find that
place of ability, truth and
honesty.
I thought that you were
just amazing in your role
of Wes, and you weren’t
too bad to look at either.
I’ll take that!
There are a lot of very
special cast members.
Have you bonded with any
of them?
I did. I think Nathan Lee
Graham is phenomenal
in the show, and just as a
person and a human he