Stand Up If You're Here Tonight ★★★★★

It may be that no review or sequence of words can possibly describe the meaning of the brilliantly written Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight. It is a complex puzzle of a play, seemingly absurd and oftentimes existentially befuddling. But not for a moment is the audience lost in the journey- how could they be? When you have the masterful presence of Jim Ortlieb by your side, the impossible is possible.

This is an immersive play. It relies on the presence of the audience as the scene partner for Ortlieb, playing “Man”. “Man” opens up to the audience, imploring them to follow his commands, or not, to stand up if they’re “here”, or not, to stand, or not to stand, and so on, and so on.

That’s not all. John Kolvenbach has written and directed a play that deals with an entire life explored in abstract moments. “Man” hints at a tragic life, filled with disappointments, dreams unfulfilled, relationships ruined, a mother – these are explored by asking the audience to participate in creating scenes, and through flashes of exposition. Some of these resemble the mundanity of Chekhovian stories – the direct address is reminiscent of On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco.

Ortlieb constantly asks the participants if they are “here”; the meaning of “here” shifts constantly; it is a philosophical metaphor for both presence and witness. The participants bear witness to the unravelling of “Man” as he desperately attempts to make meaning of his life – there is a sense that his memories are either jumbled or he simply refuses to recall things until he is forced to. Maybe he’s looking for someone to bear his soul to.

This is where the show truly excels – Ortlieb is both a gentle hand and a belligerent investigator. He asks questions about the audience, if they have favorite colors, and if they have lost someone important, alternating between the personal and playful. Ortlieb’s “Man” has a genuine interest in getting to know the audience, which is crucial. He builds trust, earning his vulnerability in the process.

What makes the show difficult to describe is how it feels as though it isn’t a show at all – Ortlieb is always about to commence “something”, always about to “start”, but he never does. The digressions often lead nowhere. But this is precisely the point.

Its final moments are a stroke of genius on the part of Kolvenbach. Without spoiling its climax, the entire play, and the episodes of “Man”’s life, which are highlighted in brief, are recontextualised by a moment of intimate connection. The ending is transcendent. The audience becomes truly “here,” and what is unveiled about “Man” is deeply compelling.

Ultimately, the performance is a beautiful rendition of the meaning of existence. Of being lost and found again. An often-repeated segment, where Ortlieb reads the “temperature” of the audience strikes such a deep chord in them that it’s impossible not to fall deeply enamoured with its central character. Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight is a truly phenomenal production by Rocking Chair Test Productions and The Huntington.