Which "The Wild Party" is Better?
Which "The Wild Party" is Better?
#0Which "The Wild Party" is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:20pmI was wondering which production was better (lippa or La Chiusa)? I'm looking into the show for a project, and I just wanted to know.
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#1re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:22pmI prefer Lippa. I just like the score and the overall feel of the piece better.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#2re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:22pm
You've got to be kidding.
Why not start a "What show is better - Wicked or Rent?" thread.
#3re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:29pmAlthough there are numerous posts on this subject, it's really a matter of tastes. I prefer the Lippa version. I like the cast better and I am just able to enjoy the score more than LaChiusa's. I admire LaChiusa's work but it just never interested me enough. I can't get through the cast recording, and I've tried twice. I do love Norm Lewis, Marc Kudisch, and Leah Hocking on it though. I find however, most posters on this board do not agree with me on this matter.
#4re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:39pm
LaChiusa's piece is better.
Lippa's is more friendly to an ear raised on pop music.
#5re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:42pmI don't think you can actually call one "better" than the other. They're both good in their own ways. I listen to Lippa's more -- but I enjoy both.
BroadwayGirl107
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/03
#6re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 7:50pm
LaChiusa's piece is much more finely crafted and layered than Lippa's rather lazy but infectious pop score.
But really, this topic is almost popping up as much as Rent and Wicked threads.
#7re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 8:28pmLippa's - More intense in my opinion. But like Little_sally said. Most posters on this site probably disagree.
C is for Company
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/16/05
#8re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 8:41pmOh gosh, not again. Oh well, I'll help with some advice! LaChiusa's is so well-crafted, the cast is spectacularly talented, and in my opinion one of the best period pieces ever. I literally listen and picture vaudeville, seedy apartments, the clothing, the everything! I can listen to this anytime, I adore it
TheEnchantedHunter
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/27/05
#9re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 9:55pm
The movie with Raquel Welch, Perry King, and Jimmy Coco, who gives an absolutely wonderful performance. Though the movie's not a musical, the background songs are, hands down, better than anything in either of the pieces of dreck by Lippa and LaChiusa.
Daisy Buchanan
Long Island, New York
TheEnchantedHunter
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/27/05
#10re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 9:55pm
The movie with Raquel Welch, Perry King, and Jimmy Coco, who gives an absolutely wonderful performance. Though the movie's not a musical, the background songs are, hands down, better than anything in either pieces of dreck by Lippa and LaChiusa.
Daisy Buchanan
Long Island, New York
C is for Company
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/16/05
#11re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 9:59pmUmm then in that case, why don't you just refer the poster to the original source poem by Joseph Moncure March, which obviously should be the best, rather than insulting both shows which although you don't like does not make them dreck.
#12re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 10:11pmLaChiusa's is better crafted and a more enjoyable listen for me. His music suits the material much better then Lippa's...
jakebloke
Broadway Star Joined: 5/29/03
#13re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 10:15pmI saw both shows the same week. Overall I prefer Lippa's. But LaChiusa's was much darker and complex overall. Both casts were amazing. I feel like it really comes down to the music and I just feel that Lippa's music is more "listenable" for lack of a better word.
#14re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 10:17pmI do like a few songs in Lachiusa's version quite a bit, but I've given both a fair listen and have to say that Lippa's is my personal favorite. Just my opinion, though.
#15re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 10:27pmLaChiusa's warrants more listening whereas I get tired easily of Lippa's version.
#16re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 10:48pm
I would hardly call Lippa's version lazy...
It's hard to say. I think it's astonishing that these two musicals are based on the same source material and came out within, what, four months of each other and are two COMPLETELY different and exciting interpretations. Each is beautiful in it's own right, and it's (as mentioned above) a matter of taste, and what about a musical really attracts and interests the viewer/listener.
I did not have the priviledge to see either live. Personally, I am more prone to listening to the Lippa version. People argue that LaChiusa's is more intricate and true to the period. Fine. But LaChiusa's IMO does not capture the reckless abandon and ruthless nature that I personally found to be vital to March's poem. Alas, perhaps seeing the two shows would change my opinion. I'll never know. But I would be interested in how many posters are giving fledgling opinions having just heard the respective cast recordings.
#17re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 10:48pmi enjoy both versions, but if i had to pick one over the other it would probably be lippa's. i just enjoy his score a bit more than lachiusa's.
#18re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 11:07pm
I personally prefer LaChiusa's work. The staging of the original production was haunting as well.
I don't have a thing against Lippa's work, but it never did much for me.
#19re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 11:11pmI'm more familiar with Lippa's version, with that being siad it is one of my favorite recordings. It is a great up-beat score, and the cast is just flawless.
TheEnchantedHunter
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/27/05
#20re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 11:23pm
"...why don't you just refer the poster to the original source poem by Joseph Moncure March, which obviously should be the best, rather than insulting both shows which although you don't like does not make them dreck."
Of course it doesn't. They're dreck in and of themselves.
Daisy Buchanan
Long Island, New York
#21re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 11:35pm
two totally different shows, although based on the same material.
Lippa's is Lippa-fied and bright and bouncy, incongruous with the original work.
LaChuisa's is smart and edgy and requires thought, true to the age from which the story emerged.
C is for Company
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/16/05
#22re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/23/06 at 11:57pm
Oh EnchantedHunter, what show do you like should be the question.
And c&a who on earth is in your avatar?!
#23re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/24/06 at 2:53amMaybe it is better to say that Lippa's version looks lazy next to LaChiusa's. Everytime I try to like Lippa's I find myself turning it off, and putting on the better version. I think Lippa's Wild Party is great for those raised on Rent, Idina, and the like. Shows with anyone who was in Rent seem to find favor. For me, LaChiusa's is too rich to accept anything less.
#24re: Which 'The Wild Party' is Better?
Posted: 3/24/06 at 2:55amLa Chiusa, no doubt. I didn't really discover Lippa's until much later, but I couldn't never get into it or even really enjoy it.
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