"People Like Us" from LaChiusa's WILD PARTY....

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 10:12pm

I've had the cast album for years, but I am now just discovering the greatness of this song! In my opinion, It's easily the best song in the score and I'd say better than anything from Lippa's version.

When the show opened, were people singling out this song as a highlight? Anybody else adore this beautiful song?

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 10:15pm

I saw the show in its original production and remember leaving the theatre thinking that this song and "Lowdown-Down" were masterpieces.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 10:20pm

It was always the standout song for me! Overall, I still think the LaChiusa version is better than Lippa's but we've argued enough about that on here. Bottom line, yes, the song is gorgeous.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 10:46pm

I was obsessed with this song for some time. So gorgeous. The perfect transition into the meat of the show.

Lippa's version can suck my big toe for all I care!

[pli1018]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 10:52pm

This song has been at the top of my most played iTunes playlist for a LONG time. It's a stunning song, and the Toni Collette is fantastic in it.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 10:55pm

There really is just so much to love in this show, especially if you love female torch songs. Despite its short run I thought that the original production was simply amazing. That cast just smoldered and a lot of it really did come through on the cast recording. Though I do think the material for the women does showcase them far more than the material does for the men. Toni Collette was incredible, though Tonya Pinkins and Eartha Kitt more than held their own against her. Eartha's performance of "When It Ends" just smoldered. She commanded that stage in a way you don't often see.

[Idiot]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 11:03pm

Oh, absolutely. This song is a theatre gem. It's still in my rotation on occasion.

[michellek45]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 11:45pm

This song and "This Is What It Is" are the two major stand-outs for me, not that the whole thing isn't great. It's just that these are the two I feel I can listen to and love out of the context of listening to the whole recording.

Posted: 9/16/11 at 12:20am

I've been obsessed with this song for a good 10 years--but I love the show in general (and I think Lippa's is generally pretty poor, if admittedly more "hummable"). It's an interesting song in that it does seem like a more surefire hit than LaChiusa ever really does (and I'm a huge LaChiusa fan, so that's not a complement or insult, just my observation). I do know that the reviews in general thought that Yancey Arias was miscast as Black--he had the look but not the presence seemed to be the consensus, especially compared to much of the cast, but he comes off fine on the CD, to me.

[lida rose]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 12:24am

Updated On: 12/23/11 at 12:24 AM

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 1:17am

I LOVE this song.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 2:07am

Glad to see some love for this amazing song! I also adore "This Is What It Is" - I just wish it was longer, it's that damn good.

I am trying to warm up more to LaChiusa. I can tell his music is really special, but I can't seem to 'love' the scores as a whole. I always seem to like bits and pieces.

I do absolutely love "Kesa" and "Morito" from SEE WHAT I WANAN SEE - pretty stunning stuff.

I'm looking to give some of his other works like HELLO AGAIN, FIRST LADY SUITE, LITTLE FISH, etc a chance. Is BERNARDA ALBA worth checking out?


Updated On: 9/16/11 at 02:07 AM

Posted: 9/16/11 at 2:29am

Everyone seems tohave LaChiusa favorites, but the two other recorded shows of his I think are the most acessible are Hello Again and Marie Christine--but I'm sure others will disagree. The last twenty minutes of Act I of Marie Christine on CD are some of my fave theatre music ever.

But I've grown to love all of his recorded shows--some were harder for me to get into than others. I just wish we had more--I'd love to hear anything from the Japanese, bizarre sounding Nutcracker he did did over there, or the Chicago Opera commision Lovers and Friends, or more than the few clips I've heard of Highest Yellow and Petrified Prince. Hopefully we'll get recordings of Giant and Queen of the Mist.

I know we're lucky to have the recordings that we have--he's hardly a huge seller, and he's pretty crazy prolific...

Lida Rose thanks so much for posting that clip--I'd only ever found three clips--all official performances--before--Eartha did one solo on Rosie O, Toni did one on Rosie O, and the Tonys montage. I know Wild Party was rough going for many theatre goers, partly because of how intense it was, and critics hardly greeted it all with glowing reviews, but it still slightly baffles me that it only ran 68 performances...

[lida rose]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 2:59am

Updated On: 12/23/11 at 02:59 AM

[mallardo]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 4:01am

I would put See What I Wanna See right after Wild Party in terms of musical and dramatic effectiveness. And Hello Again right behind that.

Coincidentally (for this thread) I'm in London at the moment and going to see a production of Bernarda Alba tomorrow. Word of mouth here is very good.

And a final note. I've seen three productions of The Wild Party and the character of Black has never quite worked. I think Yancy Arias caught way too much flack for his performance. I like the way he sings it.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 7:12am

I agree with the general sentiments. It's a marvelous song in a marvelous score, and I will forever be sad that I did not see this production.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 8:38am

I saw BERNARDA ALBA four times at Lincoln Center. I think it is one of LaChiusa's finest pieces.

I love "People Like Us", but like to start with "Lowdown-Down" and listen through the end of "After Midnight Dies". There's a flow to it all...

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 8:52am

Ljay, as a huge fan of Lachiusa, I guess I'm somewhat biased, but you should definitely listen to whatever of his music you can get your hands on. The BERNARDA ALBA is terrific, and there are several amazing vocal performances (Nikki M. James, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Saundra Santiago, Candy Buckley). The cast recording available for FIRST LADY SUITE--based on the 2002 Blank Theatre Company production--isn't anywhere near as good as the 2004 Transit Group production here in NY, but it's still a great record of a fantastic score. The same is true of the LITTLE FISH recording, although the cast that recorded that one is better than the FIRST LADY SUITE cast. I love that score--"Perfect" is one of my favorite songs.

HELLO, AGAIN, is a masterpiece, and it's hard to imagine a better recording than the OBC. What a cast!

I was initially cool to SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, but I've been listening to it a lot lately, and it's really growing on me. I think it's the finest work Idina's ever done.

[broadwaybaby086]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 10:06am

I bought the CD shortly after seeing both Toni and Eartha perform on Rosie (as I was 13 and not living in the city, and wouldn't have been able to see it if I tried), and this has been on my short list of favorite songs ever since. It really is just stunning- I'm glad to see there's a lot of love for it.

I remember in high school I sang "Lowdown-Down" for a competition and a classmate sang "Life of the Party" from Lippa's- no one in my class had heard of the LaChiusa version. So disappointing.

[PattiLover]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 10:47am

I'll never forget this moment in the show. The way the two of them connect but never even look at each other. They just sing the song, staring out to space. Hopeless.

Just one of those perfect moments in theater.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 11:15am

I've played in the pit orchestra for this show in an off-off Broadway production. What an amazing experience! I played the reed 4 part, which in some shows can be kinda boring, playing more of the bass/beat notes...definitely not the case in this show, and especially "People Like Us." It's simple but beautiful, just the way it flows, and the way the orchestra sounds as a whole. And the timing is difficult, but it just makes perfect sense, and every part of the song just seems...perfectly together. The best compliment I could give it is it's a great song even without lyrics, but of course the lyrics add quite a bit.

The score as a whole is really cohesive, but varied. I love it, and I loved playing it.