Which "The Wild Party" is Better? — Page 2

Yeah, I actually find LaChiusa's music more infectious than Lippa's. I find his Queenie was a Blonde all over the place, which the pure excitement and brass of LaChiusa's gives me goose bumps and gets stuck in me head for days.

That said I think LaChiusa's Wild Party is not only better, but one of the few GREAT musicals of this millenium (that and Caroline, or Change come to mind....and with each listen, See What I Wanna See is approaching them)

The answer to the question seems obvious to me, but everyone has "wildly" different tastes. What I'd like to know is if there are people who consider themselves fans of darker, complex works by Sondheim and Kander & Ebb, and still prefer Lippa to LaChiusa?

I think Lippa's score is fine, but nothing special. LaChiusa's Wild Party, however, ranks amongst the best shows of the past two decades. His work clearly reflects the complex storytelling through song approach of Sondheim and Kander & Ebb, and shares their taste for darker material. Yet in Kander & Ebb's Colored Lights book, they make a point of highlighting Lippa's score as one of the best things they had heard in a while.

Tastes in music vary, of course. I listened to both CDs on the same day. I was bored with LaChiusa's songs and didn't care for the vocals on his version. I loved every single song on the Lippa version and loved the vocals, especially Julia Murney.

La Chiusa's.

I actually knew, and loved, Lippa's first, and thought I wouldn't enjoy LaChiusa's, because generally whatever I approach first, I like.

But, to be a true Musical Theatre Snob, I thought I should know both versions. So I acquired LaChiusa's and begrudgingly listened, and slowly fell in love.

There is so MUCH there in the score that constantly haunts me. His score IS literally a Wild Party, where people interact with others, where as Lippa's is 4 people singing some songs that coincide with the plot.

LaChiusa's score lives and breathes the 20's, and the score is built like a party a long, wild ass party. Exciting, fast, and jazzy at the beginning (when we meet all the characters) and then it soon crescendos to a climax (where ALL the characters are interacting) and then the party is dying a bit, and we really delve into the minds, and then, of course ends with a bang, and a quick denoument. Brilliant structure and score.
And the performances are BRILLIANT.

Lippa's is for when I want to belt high, and dance around.. and laugh at the sometimes ghastly lyrics.

I put on LaChiusa's when I'm doing a long task and want to follow lots of people on a real journey, where I can get lost in the story.

So, in short, I love LaChiusa's, and I like Lippa's.

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