The Wild Party Question

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 5:09pm

I'm not quite sure if this has been discussed ad-nuseum (I did a search and nothing came up) so I'll ask it now...

(ahem)

Does anyone know why LaChiusa's Wild Party closed so quickly on Broadway (only 68 performances)? It had a great cast and great score and, as far as I can tell, a nice physical production? What was the problem? Was it a limited run? Or did the subject matter just not fly with audiences?

thanks

Updated On: 6/1/06 at 05:09 PM

[ThePinballWizard]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 5:25pm

I believe it was just a subject matter that most audiences didn't really care about.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 5:25pm

aaah...

that's what I thought, but I wasn't too sure. thanks.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 5:31pm

I think it was a combination of subject matter and expenses. Salaries alone were enough to bankrupt the deepest pockets: For starters, Mandy Patinkin, Toni Collette, Eartha Kitt, Tonya Pinkins all pulling in nice salaries.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:37pm

I listened to the musical and was dying to see a "legal" bootleg, but with no luck, read the source 'poem'. Wow it was great and I could just hear the music as I read over some lines that were copied exactly from the text into the musical

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:40pm

If you live in or by NYC then go to the Lincoln Center Library and see it.

[schlitze]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:42pm

I saw this the day before it closed and it was amazing, I thought. When I was buying my ticket, I remember making some comment about how excited I was to see Mandy Patinkin blah blah, and the guy at the box office was quick to assure me that it would be Toni Collette who would really blow me away. He was right--she was awesome! I only knew her as a movie actress at that point (mainly from The Sixth Sense) but I thought she was perfect as Queenie. Obviously, Eartha, Mandy, Tanya, and Marc were good, too. Not that that answers your original question--just wanted to share! :)

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:47pm

Truly one of the best, most underrated, unappreciated shows I have ever seen. I thought it was amazing, and was truly depressed when it closed so early, so unfairly.

If you go to you tube, there's a short 1:18 clip of part of the Tony award performance. It's just Toni and Mandy (mostly Toni), but you can see just how brilliant she is there.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:48pm

Seeing as this show hardly ran, I love hearing stories from anyone who had the chance to see it. However, with such a perfect cast like that, I picture every vet from here running to the theater to see it. I'm actually listening to Tabu now. I find it the best show to get me into the feel of a specific time period. The music just perfectly comes across with a dangerous feel and vaudeville twist in the music.
Thanks for the story schltize

edit; I watched the brief youtube scene and LOVED watching the prelude to "When It Ends" and the remainder of the song. Eartha was Bliss. I think if I had to go back and see any OBC in the past 10 years, this would be #1, followed by Caroline, Ragtime, and Parade.

Updated On: 6/1/06 at 06:48 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:52pm

It wasn't anything to do with expenses (it's weekly break even wasn't inordinately high for a show of that size). It got mixed reviews and after that simply never caught on with audiences (Collette, Patinkin, Kitt et al meant zilch at the box office). Its attendance figures hovered in the low to mid-50s for most of its run, losing money nearly every single week till The Public couldn't afford to keep it running anymore and had to close it at an $8 million loss.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 6:52pm

Is there a full you tube clip, or just the short one?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 7:02pm

There's only two. One from the Tonys and one of Eartha Kitt. I didn't find the songs all that great, but that's just based on the clips. I really can't stand Mandy Patikin's voice. It has this weird head-voice/falsetto. It drives me insane. But anways, I like the music of it.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 7:03pm

Its an entire "When It Ends" which was enthralling and a minute of Tonys which kind of sucked I think, except Toni was in great voice, just not my song of choice.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 10:45pm

Does anybody have the libretto or lyrics for this?! I can never find them anywhere and I have looked

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 10:59pm

I was just about to post a thread about this, when I saw this one.

Where there two versions written?

One by Andrew Lippa and one by Michael John LaChiusa?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:03pm

Yes, the one by Lippa played off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. And before you ask, it's simply a coincidence that two musicals by two different composers based on the same poem which took years to develop ended up debuting during the same season.

Updated On: 6/1/06 at 11:03 PM

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:07pm

The Lippa seems to be more popular in terms of information to find and clips and lyrics. Figures, I never can find any LaChiusa treasures of a show I strangely adore, but never saw.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:08pm

I've got the libretto, but not online...
Anyway, I read along with it once, playing the CD when the songs came up, etc. and it seems like it wouldve been an enthralling show to see. I hear the production (costumes, scenery, direction) aspects were all superb and I know the cast and score is great from the CD. I would've loved to see it. Posters here often refer to it as the "Follies" of our time. I'm sad I missed it.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:16pm

And they both have the same number Queenie was a blonde?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:17pm

Yeah, it's a line taken directly from the poem.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:25pm

I have so much trouble reading the opening because it is the most similar to the musical and I always read it with the tune in mind. Really check it out if you are interested in the show, it is a good payoff to understand everything not on the cd and furthermore, not in the show.

[helloagain]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:33pm

It's actually very interesting reading the poem by Joseph Moncure March and listening to LaChiusa's wild party, he wrote it with Wolfe so similar to the poem it really brings it to life.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:50pm

Wolfe is wonderful, I respect his work so much and am glad to have collaborators like him working in the industry

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/2/06 at 12:06am

You can find clips/pictures of Lippa's Wild Party? I can't find ANYTHING on it. They don't even have them in the CD booklet.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 6/2/06 at 12:29am

For those who want the Libretto here


http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=1559362006&itm=1



You'll also find the librettos to Floyd Collins, Parade, and Rent.


Great book. I'm sure you can find it cheaper somewhere