Alladin, Donica, Pinkins & More Complete ENCORES! THE WILD PARTY Cast- Page 5

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 3:43pm

And if you’re not following Jasmine Amy Roger’s’ trajectory, than you’re not paying attention. She’s a ****ing star.

She's GREAT in it.  That does not mean there weren't a TON of empty seats in the house - far different from other recent productions at Encores.  Just truth.  Not shorting Jasmine or a lot of the cast.  The production is just eh despite a great cast.  IT's just not selling - THAT was clear.

Updated On: 3/22/26 at 03:43 PM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 3:50pm

CoffeeBreak said: "I just saw this and found it alternately really exciting and smartand challenging, and at times one of the most boringthings I have ever seen onstage, but it was impossible for me to imagine that theshow's original creative impulse was not for Queenie to be "passing." It would make a hell of a lot of dramaturgicalsense (more sense than here IMO) for Queenie to be Black but passing onstageand Burrs to be white but in blackface onstage, for them both to be in performances of the others' race and this being the central irony of their performed relationship. I understand the historical examples of people like Bert Williams (who to me hang over much of Wolfe'swork), but the kind of terrible symmetry of that is so interesting.Funnily, that seems to be the production we have never gotten."

The cast is about half right. The production and direction isn't great with the set design - so it turns out BO-RING.

The show can be so much fun. This staging isn't great and unfocused even if the choreography is pretty decent.

a TON of empty seats on a Saturday night at Encores was weird. Bat Boy was the opposite."

Encores was never the same after the amazing Little Shop of Horrors 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 3:52pm

I did not see these "tons of empty seats" in the Grand Tier/Mezz last night.

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 3:57pm

I saw this last night and had some major quibbles with the direction, and a couple medium-size quibbles with the structure and writing of the show itself, but for the most part found it a sensational evening, and an astonishing performance of an astonishing score. Rogers and Donica knocked me sideways. As many have said --- if you are on the fence, go!

Surprising that a show I have so many quibbles with is probably the show that I'm most glad to have seen this year. 

[Kad]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 4:03pm

It’s a two week presentation of a difficult, niche show with no real “big” names- who was seriously expecting this to quickly sell out? 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 5:02pm

Kad said: "It’s a two week presentation of a difficult, niche show with no real “big” names- who was seriously expecting this to quickly sell out?"

The people who didn’t enjoy it and want to push the narrative that nobody wants to see it. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 5:27pm

WldKingdomHM said: “Encores was never the same after the amazing Little Shop of Horrors"

I’ll refer you to Jelly’s Last Jam. Nicholas Christopher having to learn how to tap dance in 10 days when he never did it before? Tiffany Mann and Joaquin’s Kalukango singing the roof DOWN? Leslie Uggams back on stage after many years? That was THRILLING.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 10:02pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Kad said: "It’s a two week presentation of a difficult, niche show with no real “big” names- who was seriously expecting this to quickly sell out?"

The people who didn’t enjoy it and want to push the narrative that nobody wants to see it."

Not true.  Enjoyed the performances quite a bit.  And love the show.  Don't love the production/directing a lot.  The narrative seems to be pushed that there are people seeing it.  Saturday night, there were not.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/22/26 at 10:34pm

two battling reactions here, to the piece itself and to the production.

the piece left me cold. hard to believe two production teams put together shows based on this material in one year. i am totally unfamiliar with both versions, but i do know some of the songs from Lippa's and none of the ones tonight did much for me. its a meandering, hyper sexual tale with little tension or action until the very end, and there isnt much character development along the way because there are so many. and im surprised no one has commented on the incest and the pedophilia that find their way into the mix here.

so while not a fan of the PIECE, lets give everyone involved in this production their flowers. i thought the direction was scattered but in a way that makes sense--how else would you direct this sprawling drunken tale? the sexual explicitness didnt bother me but clearly bothered some around me, and seemed a bit overkill. my biggest gripe was the sound in the ensemble numbers, especially in the beginning. 

but lets cut to the chase. Jasmine Amy Rogers and Jordan Donica are two of the most dynamic, talented performers we are lucky to share this city with, and they are giving award worthy performances that take your breath away. I would have handed her the Tony last year over both Audra and Nicole for what she did with Boop, but now shes erased that cutie pie from our memories with this richly sung Queenie--i seriously cannot fathom Toni Collette pulling this off. And Donica is a slow burn that explodes- his voice is butter and he made Burrs make sense in a story that barely did. truly remarkable stuff.

and all the other treasures are there too. Not sure whats going on with Lesli Margheritas voice but shes a hoot as always. Hippensteel and Kober are funny but intentional. Betsy Morgan does alot with very little. This was all put together in ten days, and for the first time in a while, it sure doesnt feel like it.

the front mezzanine was not empty but by no means full. Sunday nights at Encores are always full of theater people and a fun crowd regardless.

Updated On: 3/22/26 at 10:34 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 12:03am

Really enjoyed Megan Murphy in this one too.  Forgot to mention.

The show could easily be directed better than it was.  It was focus free and too musical comedy stylized in places for the material.  It wa supposed to be rehearsed in 10 days, be certain there was more before rehearsals technically began ... 

Claybourne Elder was also pretty great too.  But there again the director didn't set up his final moments or reasoning well with the staging before.

 

Updated On: 3/23/26 at 12:03 AM

[getatme]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 1:39am

Thought this was largely a very successful showing for Encores. Issues with the direction and use of space, the set works but particularly the bedroom set for the final confrontation is too close quarters and shoved upstage right. The lighting also could be used to better effect, there is so much happening at any given moment onstage (which makes sense, this is a wild party after all!) but with the lights up on the whole stage, the eye sometimes doesn't know where to look. More than once I thought, "Who is singing right now?" And had to look at each person's face to figure it out.

BUT the show is electric and the cast is almost uniformly excellent.

Jasmine Amy Rogers is a star, point blank and period. There is an attack and a recklessness and a fearlessness with which she takes on this material and it is just thrilling. It would have been very easy for her to rely simply on Boop-isms with a different makeup design, and while there are hints of Betty shining through, they are used appropriately and feel true to the era and her take on Queenie. She is a dynamite singer, a killer dancer, and a committed actor. It feels like a true honor to get to watch someone of this caliber at the start of her career.

This is the best I've seen Jordan Donica. I've always found him very good, here he ascends to the next level. He is sexy and terrifying and funny and charming and sly and everything in between. It is a phenomenal performance he matches Jasmine step for step.

Adrienne Warren has shaken Tina Turner off at long last and delivers an excellent performance. Vocally exquisite, but she shows all Kate's sides in very exciting and subtle ways.

Jelani was the one of the 4 leads I was least impressed by. He made little to no impact. I didn't understand what drew Queenie (or Kate) to him. Yes, he's incredibly handsome, but there was a spark and charisma I found very lacking. Vocally hit or miss.

Tonya Pinkins acquits herself decently, though I do find her almost fundamentally miscast. As others have said, Earth Kitt is heard in every line, note, and lyric of that role, and it seems almost impossible to do it without some semblance of an impression, which Pinkins does a couple of times. But more than that, Kitt had an innate sensuality to her, a feline energy that crackled the second she appeared onstage or on screen. Pinkins is a towering presence, for sure, but I'm not sure she has that same sensuality, or if she does she seems almost afraid to lean into it. Still, she is a living legend and looks and sounds fantastic. It's always a treat to see her.

Elsewhere, I though Claybourne Elder was wonderful (and just absolutely gorgeous), though I agree the show lets the character down a bit with his sudden change near the end of the show. The Chicago actors made a wonderful impression, as did KJ Hippensteel and Andrew Kober. Lesli Margherita's voice was not in great shape, but her humor and energy suited the role well.

Overall, a really wonderful evening at City Center. Would love for this exact cast to do the Lippa version and LaChiusa version in rep.

[binau]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 5:11am

Also the original purpose of encores I thought was to play rarely heard shows that wouldn’t otherwise get mounted. This version of the Wild Party to me seems much more aligned to the original intention than something like Little Shop. Obviously ticket sales are helpful and often needed but Encores was and is meant to fill a very specific niche. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 12:05pm

I liked elements of this production well enough, but I am less enthusiastic on the overall result than most of you seemed to be. Frankly, neither version of THE WILD PARTY has ever really been my jam - though this one has a leg up on the Lippa score simply in terms of sheer audacity. While still unwieldy, the music in this WP feels much more accomplished.

I found the direction somewhat aimless. I understand how tricky it can be for a director to do anything beyond a straightforward staging at Encores!, given the time constraints, but this mounting struck me as particularly uninventive. (That said, I loved the choreography moment at the top of the party with the champagne glasses - it offered a glimmer of creativity, and I wish that sensibility had surfaced again later in the show.)

The performances are all solid, even if I will never quite understand the impulse to cast an ingénue as Queenie. Encores! did it with Sutton, and now again here with Jasmine. She’s clearly working her ass off and does as well as she can with the material, but I still found the casting misguided. Adrienne Warren’s Kate, by contrast, felt much more authentically gritty and dangerous. At times she gave the impression that she could (and just might) eat Queenie alive.

The undeniable standout of this cast, by a mile, is Jordan Donica. I’m thrilled to see his star continue to rise - he’s absolutely phenomenal.

All that said, I’m not sure I’d tell anyone to rush to the box office, unless you're a WILD PARTY devotee or a fan of the performers. 

Updated On: 3/23/26 at 12:05 PM

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 2:14pm

‘The Wild Party’ gets a sharp new vision. The old problems remain.
2 out of 5 stars

A gin-soaked Jazz Age spectacular that’s more ingredients than recipe: Lili-Anne Brown’s production finds new meaning in its racial reimagining, but the story disappears under the weight of its own party. Read our full review here. 

 

[DCS]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 3:37pm

Would love for this exact cast to do the Lippa version and LaChiusa version in rep."

I saw both the LaChiusa and Lippa versions on the same day when they were playing simultaneously in 2000 (Lippa matinee / LaChiusa evening preview) and the problem was the same with both shows... the original source material, Moncure's narrative poem, isn't substantive enough to build a musical upon. It has lots of characters, but very little plot or character development. Add to that the fact that the characters, as a whole, are basically a group of indulgent, unhappy, abusive, boring people and, no matter how much you might love the songs by Lippa or LaChiusa, the show is a real slog to sit through.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/23/26 at 4:22pm

Is TKTS selling discounted tickets for this?