The Wild Party (Lippa musical)
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| The Wild Party | |
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| Original cast album | |
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| Music | Andrew Lippa |
| Lyrics | Andrew Lippa |
| Book | Andrew Lippa |
| Based upon | Joseph Moncure March's narrative poem The Wild Party |
| Productions | 2000 off-Broadway 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
For the musical of the same name by Michael John LaChiusa, see The Wild Party
The Wild Party is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Andrew Lippa. It is based on Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem of the same name. It coincidentally debuted during the same theatre season (1999-2000) as a Broadway production with the same name and source material.
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[edit] Synopsis
A prologue introduces the audience to two vaudeville performers, Queenie, a showgirl and Burrs, a clown. They appear to be a perfect match, since both are attracted to sleaze and kink, and they move into a Manhattan apartment together.
After a couple of years, boredom and distrust have replaced the passion in their relationship. Tired of Burrs and his physically brutal ways, Queenie makes plans to throw a party where she can embarrass him. Their guest list is a motley mix that includes Queenie's best friend Kate and her latest lover, Mr. Black; a prizefighter named Eddie and his girlfriend Mae; the flamboyant and incestuous d'Armano brothers; Sam Himmelsteen, a theatre producer; and a hooker named Dolores and her lesbian madam, Madeleine True. Queenie sees Mr. Black as her opportunity to make Burrs jealous. At the same time, Kate is determined to nab Burrs.
The tension between the two couples becomes obvious to all, and the d'Armanos suggest that Queenie and Burrs perform a number from their new Broadway show. Her performance fascinates Mr. Black even more, and the two discuss their growing feelings for each other. Meanwhile, Kate finds she is unable to attract Burrs, who is becoming increasingly drunk and begins to hallucinate. He makes a pass at Mae, prompting Eddie to fight with his host. Burrs takes quite a beating until Mr. Black intervenes. Kate offers Burrs cocaine to ease his pain.
The party soon evolves into an orgy. Burrs, finding Queenie with Mr. Black, pulls out his gun. He and Mr. Black struggle for it and Burrs is killed, leaving Queenie to wonder how her plan could end in such tragedy.
[edit] Productions
Directed by Gabriel Barre and choreographed by Mark Dendy, the off-Broadway production opened on February 24, 2000 at the Manhattan Theatre Club and ran for 54 performances. It starred Julia Murney as Queenie, Brian D'Arcy James as Burrs, Idina Menzel as Kate, and Taye Diggs as Mr. Black.
A cast album was released by RCA Records [1].
In 2004, The Wild Party was produced as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In recent years it has been staged in cities throughout the United States, including Chicago [2], Baltimore [3], Cincinnati [4], Memphis [5], Palo Alto [6], and Valparaiso[7].
A production of The Wild Party was announced in early 2008 to be presented February 2-24 by the Gallery Players in Brooklyn, NY, and the cast will feature Grease: You're The One That I Want runner-up Allie Schulz. [8]
A production was also announced for October 2008 at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, to be directed & choreographed by Emmy Award-winning choreographer George Pinney.
A production of The Wild Party ran at Pace University in New York City at the Schaeberle Studio Theatre in April 2008. It was directed by Amy Rogers, choreographed by Rhonda Miller and musically directed by Robert Meffe. Featured players were Ariel Tyler-Page (Dobshinsky) as Queenie, Nicholas Miller as Burrs, Norman Payne as Black and Tara Novie as Kate.
[edit] Critical reception
Ben Brantley of the New York Times said of Lippa's score, "[it] has a jittery, wandering quality, conscientiously shifting styles and tempos as if in search of a lost chord . . . The ballads . . . are of the high-decibel, swooning pop variety made popular by Frank Wildhorn. Mr. Lippa fares better with pastiches of jazz, vaudeville and gospel vintage, although these, too, suffer by comparison to the Kander-Ebb songs for Chicago." CurtainUp said, "The Wild Party may not be the perfect musical we've all been looking for but it's great fun to watch and puts enough talent on display to have warranted a longer run than it will have."
[edit] Song list
- Queenie Was a Blonde
- Out of the Blue
- What a Party
- Raise the Roof
- Look at Me Now
- Poor Child
- An Old-Fashioned Love Story
- By Now the Room Was Moving
- The Juggernaut
- A Wild, Wild Party
- Two of a Kind
- Maybe I Like It This Way
- What Is It About Her?
- The Life of the Party
- I'll Be Here
- Let Me Drown
- Tell Me Something
- Come with Me
- Jackie's Last Dance
- Make Me Happy
- How Did We Come to This?
[edit] Awards and nominations
The Wild Party won the 2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical of the 2000 season, Lucille Lortel Awards for Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design, and the 1999-2000 Obie Award for Best Choreography. It was nominated for twelve additional Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding New Musical.
[edit] Comparison with the Broadway Wild Party
The Andrew Lippa and Michael John LaChiusa 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 original poem, and the cast is much smaller. Many of the characters in LaChiusa's version do not appear in Lippa's version at all.
There are major differences in the music and tone of the two shows, as well. Lippa's songs are not wholly dependent on the plot of the show, and can be understood better out of context. Comparatively, the LaChiusa score is tightly interwoven with the plot of the show, and most if not all of the songs make little impact outside of the story.
[edit] External links
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