The Wild Party (LaChiusa musical)

:"For the Andrew Lippa musical of the same name, see The Wild Party"

Infobox Musical
name =The Wild Party
subtitle =


image_size =175px
caption = Original Cast Album
music =Michael John LaChiusa
lyrics =Michael John LaChiusa
book =George C. Wolfe
Michael John LaChiusa
basis =Joseph Moncure March's narrative poem "The Wild Party"
productions =2000 Broadway
awards =

"The Wild Party" is a musical with a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by LaChiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name. The Broadway production coincidentally opened during the same theatrical season (1999-2000) as an off-Broadway musical with the same title and source material.

The show is presented as a series of vaudeville sketches, complete with signs announcing the next scene propped on an easel at the side of the stage. Its plot centers on a party - fueled by bathtub gin, cocaine, and uninhibited sexual behavior - hosted by Queenie and Burrs, whose relationship is disintegrating. It quickly evolves into an orgy that culminates in tragedy. The guests include fading star Dolores; Kate, Queenie's best friend and rival; Black, Kate's younger lover, who has his eye on Queenie; Jackie, a rich kid who has his eye on everyone, regardless of gender; the incestuous D'Armano brothers; a lesbian stripper Miss Madelaine True and her girlfriend Sally; underaged Lolita-like Nadine; and prizefighter Eddie and his wife Mae.

Production

After 36 previews, "The Wild Party" opened at the Virginia Theatre on April 13, 2000 and closed on June 11 for a total of 68 performances. It was directed by Wolfe and choreographed by Joey McKneely. The cast included Toni Collette (making her Broadway debut) as Queenie, Mandy Patinkin as Burrs, and Yancey Arias as Black. Although her role was reduced over the course of workshop productions, Eartha Kitt, returning to Broadway after an absence of more than twenty years, garnered notice for her performance as Dolores. The four were backed by a large ensemble cast, all of whom had a featured song or other moments to shine within the context of the main plot.

In 2001, LaChiusa said that the role of Queenie was written for the African-American actress Vanessa L. Williams; when Williams got pregnant, she was recast with Collette. LaChiusa stated, "I don't think of it as something that was lost in the piece, but it would have been fascinating to see how an audience responded to a black Queenie. The show is all about the masks that we wear culturally and the removal of those masks over the course of the party. So it's all there...". [Frank, Jonathan. [http://www.talkinbroadway.com/cabaret/lachiusa.html "Interview with Michael John LaChiusa"] , Talkin' Broadway, 2001. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.]

A cast album was released on the Decca Records label.

Critical reception

Ben Brantley of the "New York Times" called it "a parade of personalities in search of a missing party . . . what has wound up on the stage is a portrait of desperation that itself feels harshly, wantonly desperate." [ [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?_r=2&res=9C06E1D6103EF937A25757C0A9669C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fL%2fLaChiusa%2c%20Michael%20John&oref=slogin&oref=login New York Times review] .] CurtainUp said, "Overall, it adds up to a polished theatrical entertainment, with a distinctive edginess," and Talkin' Broadway described it as " a dark, sensual, and glittering musical. LaChiusa has written several tuneful, witty, and character driven songs, which George C. Wolfe has expertly arranged and staged around the narrative provided by the source material; an interesting story gets told in appealing music and believable dialogue."

Original Broadway cast

*Toni Collette . . . Queenie
*Mandy Patinkin . . . Burrs
*Yancey Arias . . . Black
*Eartha Kitt . . . Dolores
*Marc Kudisch . . . Jackie
*Tonya Pinkins . . . Kate
*Norm Lewis . . . Eddie Mackrel
*Nathan Lee Graham . . . Phil D'Armano
*Michael McElroy . . . Oscar D'Armano
*Sally Murphy . . . Sally
*Leah Hocking . . . Mae
*Adam Grupper . . . Gold
*Stuart Zagnit . . . Goldberg
*Brooke Sunny Moriber . . . Nadine
*Jane Summerhays . . . Miss Madelaine True

ong list

The Vaudeville
*Queenie was a Blonde/Marie is Tricky/Wild Party - Queenie, Burrs, CompanyPromenade of Guests
*Dry - Burrs, Jackie, Madelaine, Sally, Eddie, Mae, Nadine, Brothers D’Armano, Dolores
*Welcome to my Party - Queenie
*Like Sally - Madelaine
*Breezin’ Through Another Day - Jackie
*Uptown - Brothers D’Armano
*Eddie & Mae - Eddie, Mae
*Gold & Goldberg - Gold, Goldberg
*Moving Uptown - DoloresThe Party
*Black Bottom - Queenie, Company
*Best Friend - Queenie, Kate
*A Little M-M-M - Brothers D’Armano
*Tabu/Taking Care of the Ladies - Oscar, Black, Company
*Wouldn’t It Be Nice? - Burrs
*Lowdown-Down - Queenie
*Gin - Burrs, Company
*Wild - Company
*Need - Madelaine, Company
*Black Is a Moocher - Kate
*People Like Us - Queenie, BlackAfter Midnight Dies
*After Midnight Dies - Sally
*Golden Boy - Eddie, Brothers D’Armano
*The Movin’ Uptown Blues - Gold, Goldberg
*The Lights of Broadway - Nadine
*More - Jackie
*Love Ain’t Noth*in’/Welcome to Her Party/What I Need - Kate, Burrs, Queenie
*How Many Women in the World? - Burrs
*When It Ends - DoloresFinale
*This is What It Is - Queenie
*Finale - Queenie, Burrs, Company

Awards and nominations

*Theatre World Award (Toni Collette, winner)
*Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
*Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
*Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
*Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Mandy Patinkin, nominee)
*Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Toni Collette, nominee)
*Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Eartha Kitt, nominee)
*Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, nominees)
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Mandy Patinkin, nominee)
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Toni Collette, nominee)
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Eartha Kitt, nominee)

Comparison with the off-Broadway "Wild Party"

The Michael John LaChiusa and Andrew Lippa versions of "The Wild Party" are markedly different in their storylines. In Lippa's version, the plot is tightly focused on the central love triangle of Joseph Moncure March's poem, while the LaChiusa play, while also focusing on the love triangle, has fifteen characters, nearly all of whom are given story arcs of their own within the narrative. Within those individual stories, broader themes such as racism, sexism, bisexuality, anti-semitism, and the concept of the American Dream are included.

There are major differences in the music and tone of the two shows, as well. While Lippa takes a more abstract, non-date specific approach to his compositions and orchestrations, the LaChiusa score is both more traditional in terms of musical theatre conventions as well as more period with regard to the Roaring Twenties setting.

References

* [http://www.musicalheaven.com/Detailed/261.html MusicalHeaven.com show profile]

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=12484 "The Wild Party" at the Internet Broadway Database]
* [http://www.curtainup.com/wildparty2.html Curtain Up review]
* [http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/wildparty.html Talkin' Broadway review]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117928580.html?categoryid=33&cs=1 "Variety" review]