LaChiusa 'The Wild Party' in LA...AMAZING!

[erikaamato]

Posted: 10/27/05 at 9:05pm

So, I finally got to see "The Wild Party" at The Blank (@ the Hudson mainstage) last night, and I was really impressed. The performances were (mostly) stellar, and even the one or two slightly weaker ones were still quite fine.

The band - led by David O. - was amazing, and really added to the ambience, as they were seated right on stage with the characters, as if they were the combo playing for the party.

In my never-to-be-humble opinion, the real standouts in the show were Valarie Pettiford as Queenie, Eric Anderson as Burrs, Kirsten Benton Chandler as Madelaine, and Nathan Lee Graham and Daren A. Herbert as the song-and-dance duo "The Brothers D'Armano." (Amazing!) Of course, Sally Kellerman was fabulous too, but she's not a singer... But again, everyone was really so good.

The costumes were great, the lighting nice and moody, and the set was adequate, although I think that was the weakest element of the show.

I know it's not a very in-depth review, but I have to run out to acting class... If this kicks-starts any discussion, I'll be sure to post in more detail. =)

Updated On: 10/28/05 at 09:05 PM

Posted: 10/28/05 at 2:29am

Just got back from the Party and it was wonderful. Stand out performances by those you mentioned and an overall strong ensemble musically. The guy who played Black was your typical "he's so handsome let's forgive his wooden acting and weak vocals and slap him in a tux and put him onstage." That kind of stuff really gets me, but really the only quibble. And Daisy Egan was so good and most definitely grown up. Won't spoil it, but if you have seen it you will know what I mean.

ANYONE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Run to see this, please. It deserves full houses. Such an ambitious work, executed by a talented group.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 2:38am

Thanks for the reviews guys!

Singing - that was the same problem with Yancy who played Black on Broadway. You can't just say who you are and expect the audience to buy it.

FYI, erika - Brothers D'Armano - and I feel bad for whomever has to play Dolores - that role was basically Eartha Kitt as Eartha Kitt on Broadway.

The one thing difficult, I think, about this show is that it is hard to care about the main characters. This isn't a fault of LaChiusa nor March (who wrote the poem)...same goes for Lippa's version.

The poem was not made to be a typical musical...who says you have to love the main characters? (Besides those ancient Greek snobs...)

P.S. - Erika - I think you would make a good Madaleine True
Updated On: 10/28/05 at 02:38 AM

[JayKid]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:00am

How is this show compared to Lippa's version???

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:02am

More exciting and emotionally and intellectually arousing.

AKA - it is a show. Lippa's is a belt fast that comes together to tell a story. I enjoy the music, but LaChiusa's show is leagues above Lippa's.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 8:10am

"Of course Sally Kellerman was fabulous but she's not a singer"

Hmmm, I saw Kellerman's cabaret act many times and she use to do the best version of "Deep in the Night" from "Inner City" I've ever heard. A smokey low voice yes but she did at one time have a legit musical comedy voice. She was in the musical
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" and can even be heard on the studio cast recording with Faith Prince. She still sounds fine on the CD. I wonder what happened to her voice in "Wild Party"?

[eslgr8]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 11:12am

She sounds fine, and her voice is just as you described. It's just that her voice doesn't have the power of the other singers, and the show isn't miked. Her WP bio says she's working on a new CD with Leiber and Stoller.

Posted: 10/28/05 at 12:27pm

I thought that Miss Kellerman did a fine job, her subtle singing voice lended shading to her aging actress persona. (Her singing style fit the character)

I think if you look past the characters and get to the core of the themes, it becomes quite engaging, but I do agree that caring for some of the party goers is problematic.

[mallardo]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 2:13pm

I've seen the show twice and Sally Kellerman seems to be the only one whose voice doesn't carry.

Valerie Pettiford was simply overwhelming - looked great, sounded great, danced great and was heartbreaking. At both performances I caught tears were streaming down her face at the finale. And a word for Eric Anderson, please! The character of Burrs is SO dark and Mandy Patinkin, in the original production, made him almost unbearable. Anderson found the humanity in this guy without stinting on the rage and violence. I thought it was a truly astonishing performance. Bravo to all involved.

[DAME]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 2:16pm

Everything my college buddy Danny Henning directs is worth going too. Going next weekend.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:26pm

I saw it a second time this Wednesday and the show has really tightened up and it ROCKS. Sally Kellerman's voice has gotten stronger and she is now well heard above the orchestra...

FANTASTIC

[Popular]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:28pm

Saw it. Tried to soak it all in. Would probably have to see it again to really GET it. But performances were amazing and I did enjoy it a lot!

[amperage]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:34pm

Did anyone see the B'way production? If so, I'm curious how it compares. Toni Colette's performance was just unreal. I think the La Chiusa work is far superior to the Lippa version. To this day, Wild Party was one of my favorite Broadway shows.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:36pm

Same here, amperage...TWP is one of my favorites.

The thing about Burrs is there is not much humanity in him. He killed his wife, he is fooling around with Kate, and he (most likely) beats Queenie.

Sometimes Mandy was a bit too much - but sometimes he was so scary it actually hurt (in a good way).

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:36pm

The only weak element in the show is the set. I understand the low budget but I've seen high school plays with better sets. There are plenty of great set designers in LA who can create miracles with an ultra-low budget...

Other than the set, the show is definitely one of the very best musical theatre productions seen in LA this year.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:38pm

Though it is very hard to compete with the original set design.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:42pm

I think Burrs is very human. To say that because he did all these horrible things doesn't make him less human, it makes him a horrible human. I think you get hints of humanity here and there. They humanity isn't so much what he does, but why he does it. At the core of him, Burrs is an insecure little boy. I have a friend who works at a prosecutor's office. 1 hour with her and you realize just how human Burrs is.


PS in the show I'm not sure you know that he killed his wife. We do know that he beat her with the heel of his shoe till her lips turned blue. I never thought she was dead. I find it interesting that you saw it that way. Hmmm certainly something to think about

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:48pm

I always took that line to mean he killed her. Also, because of the motif of ice...and he says "pack her [Queenie] down in ice" - which I took to mean murder her.

Posted: 10/28/05 at 7:40pm

wish this could transfer to a bigger theater.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 7:57pm

BSoBW2: Yes, I know it's D'Armano. I thought that's what I typed, but I was in a hurry to get out the door for class, and I didn't check my post to notice I'd forgotten the apostrophe, etc. OOPS. OH! And for your info, it's MADELAINE, not Madaleine, as you typed. But thanks for the suggestion...I'd love to play that role!

On that same note...

Mallardo: it's VALARIE Pettiford, not Valerie.

BroadwayBaby6 and Demitri2: I saw it on Wednesday as well, and I was in the 2nd row, and I had great difficulty hearing Ms. Kellerman. And when I could hear her she sounded strained. Not a singer, IMHO. But I've never heard her sing before... And she is a truly wonderful actress, and a fine "vocalist," in the smokey, Marlene Deitrich tradition.

If we want to talk weak links, I agree with singingbackup on the guy who played Black, and I also thought...actually, I just realized I can't go into more detail, since I work in this town and stupidly used my real name when I signed up here. :-P

And again, overall the show is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!








Updated On: 10/28/05 at 07:57 PM

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 8:11pm

Minor quibbles aside, I think we all agree the show is a "must-see".

[mallardo]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 8:12pm

No, Burrs is not a murderer but a beater of women - that's what Dolores and Kate warn Queenie about. On the positive side, he truly does LOVE Queenie, in his own warped way, and that comes through in the text and in Anderson's performance here. Also he's very funny when he's "on", in a caustic way, and Anderson brought that out in a way Patinkin did not, at least for me.

[bunchamuncha]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 8:49pm

Going to buy tix to see now, thx for the reviews!

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 11:45pm

"And for your info, it's MADELAINE, not Madaleine, as you typed."

I always spell that wrong - idiot I am!

P.S. for your information - I would love to see you play Ms. True

[erikaamato]

Posted: 10/29/05 at 2:17am

BSoBW2: Hee! You're sweet! =) (And definitely NOT an idiot! I am the Queen of Typos, and I don't consider myself to be an idiot in the least!)