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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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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

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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.

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.

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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

wish this could transfer to a bigger theater.

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

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

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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!)