“Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight” – Written and directed by John Kolvenbach. Scenic Design by Kristine Holmes. Lighting Design by M Berry. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company, the Maso Studio, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, through March 23, 2024.
By Linda Chin
Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight is both the title of a very clever one-man show written by John Kolvenbach and one of many imperatives uttered by the show’s leading man – actor Jim Ortlieb – to command the audience’s attention.
I suspected that surprises or twists to the typical theater experience were in store when we entered the Huntington’s Maso Studio and didn’t receive one of the company’s lovely oversized physical programs – nor, as is the trend of many theaters of late, a QR code to download before we are asked to silence our cell phones. Learning that programs would be available afterward, at the post-show gathering, was of some comfort. But if you’re in the habit of skimming a program as you’re settling in your seat, whether to avoid small talk with the stranger sitting next to you, learn about the show you’re about to see as part of a ritual for easing into the experience or all of the above…
Be prepared to be “left in the dark” about who’s who in the cast and creative team, without the “foreplay” that gets you into the theater mood before the house goes dark. Also, if you’re in the habit of having an intermission to process what you’ve seen, get a drink, take a bathroom break (or read the program), that’s not part of the production. And, as for the house lights – they don’t go down fully to signal the start of the show or create a fourth wall to break; you’re in full view with nowhere to hide…
Ortlieb, dapper in a tailored, well-fitting suit, enters stage left, sees the packed crowd, and warmly welcomes us with outstretched arms, expressing his gratitude – disbelief? – that audience members resisted the temptation of staying home and streaming, purchased tickets, and showed up to breathe the same air as a bunch of strangers and see him perform. He explains that he wants to establish a connection for actors and audience to “schmeer” – or blend as one (think cream cheese on a lightly toasted, warm, everything bagel).
He repeats this interchange – shtick? several times until he/we are convinced that the show is ready to start, that it’s time to get comfortable and sit back to watch the performance ahead when it dawns on you that the show has already begun. In the course of the fast-paced hour ahead, Ortlieb commands the audience’s attention by issuing a series of commands. He asks us, Simon Says-like, to stand up (if you’re here tonight), sit down, and stand again, several times in succession. He directs us to sigh (when he holds up a handwritten sign that reads ‘SIGH’), sing (the F and A notes separately, then together to create the sound of a dial tone), and clap our hands along to his rhythms. Endearing, soft-spoken, and with a Pied Piper-like allure, even the squeamish, skeptical, control freaks among us played along, possibly relieved not to have to think – or overthink. A twist towards the end of the show took me out of the moment for the last ten minutes or so, but overall, I enjoyed the experience.
Most of the other audience members clearly did, too, as at the curtain call, they expressed how much they enjoyed being there that night by standing up and applauding – without having been prompted or scripted to do so. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.huntingtontheatre.org/whats-on/stand-up-if-youre-here-tonight/
