Why is there an Electric Guitar in Lippa's WIld Party? — Page 2

It is a good score as long as you don't think about the show it is for.

Sorry, Lippa's Wild Party.

I really like some of the music, especially when Murney is singing it, but it just doesn't fit the material.

If Idina weren't in it, I imagine a lot of people would care less about the material.

I agree.

LaChiusa seems to be motivated by art, while Lippa's motivation seems to be pure entertainment. Every stitch of Lippa's Wild Party seems an attempt to impress, or entertain, in a mainstream way that just doesn't suit the piece. The score is less challenging than LaChiusa's, and therefore has more immediate appeal.

But LaChiusa's work is classic, and groundbreaking. Again, I don't think Lippa's work is bad (I love Out of the Blue) but it just isn't a perfect fit to the period, like LaChiusa's.

Les Mis has a more epic nature to it, and for that reason, I can get past the modern material. It has a timeless nature to it, where it's less about the time period and more about the themes. Make sense?

Wild Party is all about the time period. By using the music of the era, LaChiusa's creates a thrilling, almost environmental piece. But with its period setting, and non-period music, Lippa's show just seems thrown together and jumbled to me.

Updated On: 1/19/06 at 06:43 PM

BG - I know what you mean.

Because from the very beginning, Les Mis sets itself up as a rock opera - yes, a rock opera. In the original concept version, it's more Broadway-rock. (Trust me, even Rent couldn't be considered Rock music by Rock-enthusiasts.)

When I say rock (for a Broadway show) I mean somethin more stylized.

But, anyway, B&S had been knows for rock, not Broadway, is what I meant.


It's sort of the same thing for EVITA - really doesn't fit the time...the locale - yet it never trie to.

If you look at Lippa's lyrics (well, most of them are from the poem) they are in an early 20th century style. Then, the score sways in and out of the same style. (This is not event alking about flaws in the score as it pertains to telling the story.)

The problem is, the piece is very specific to a time-period - the way people thought, the way people acted. Racism, homophobia...the POEM WAS BANNED when it was first released (which is why Speigelman's version is called re-released or something).

Lippa's never proves to me that it is bordering some touchy subjects...subjects that, in their original form, were banned from the public.

LaChiusa's version (in the show - the CD, which is one of the most amazing recordings ever, is lacking the intensity and vibrant rawism of the stage play) is very gritty and should make you feel uncomfortable.

The only uncomfortable moment in Lippa's is watching a full grown woman pee.

Updated On: 1/19/06 at 06:54 PM

Lol.

Evita is a great example. In the beginning, you know you are seeing a telling of a story. Sam with Les Mis. You know you are seeing a recreation of something classic in a modern context.

But Lippa never makes the same clear choice, and even if he did, it wouldn't fit the material. Modern/Rock-type scores really work best for epic storytelling. The poem of Wild Party is more about ideas than it is about story and plot. Evita and Les Mis are so much about their plot and therefore, you are able to play with the sounds you use to tell the story.

It is a tricky piece, as you're never quite sure who the antagonist is. Though, that's probably what I like most about it. But in terms of selling tickets, it's a tough sell getting people to see a show where they probably won't like any of the characters.

Well, obviously, I love it.

It's hard to say - WE HAVE SOMETHING EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO!

You a crack whore?
Meet Jackie!

You a scorned diva on the fritz?
Meet Dolores!

You a wife-beater?
Meet Burrs!

You a tramp?
Meet Kate!

You a wooden womanizer?
Meet Black!

You a lusty lesbian?
Meet Madaleine!

You a post-modernist scary lesbian?
Meet Sally!

You a conniving Jew looking to use, abuse, and not hire?
Meet Gold (and Goldberg)!

You a little girl that want to meet a big boy?
Meet Nadine!

You a fighter lookin' for a good fight?
Meet Eddie!

You have no remorse when you cheat?
Meet Queenie!

You a dumb blonde?
Meet Mae!
(OK - I think Wicked has us on that one!)

Updated On: 1/19/06 at 07:12 PM

Hell, I'm at least 5 or 6 of them!

I SAID

"WE HAVE SOMETHING EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO!"

(It's just hard to use those examples in an ad campaign when one says, "Ever feel like the outcast? Ever dream of a place where you belong? See CARRIE, THE MUSICAL")

(I just wanted to bring up another great, CARRIE)



No one understands that the music is symbolic for...eh, EFF it!

It's a great show!

Updated On: 1/19/06 at 07:28 PM

Wow...sorry, is it just me, or does this argument seems incredibly hypocritical:

On Les Miz:

"The piece is obviously NOT connected to late 19th century France."
"I don't think I could listen to late-1800's French music for 3 hours."
"You know you are seeing a recreation of something classic in a modern context."

First of all, why would you make a show where the music isn't connected to the time period its set in, whether its a suggestion or a replication? Second, just because the composers of Les Miz were already known for a style outside of the context of the play, that makes it all right to write a score with no connection to the material? (I just want to say I don't know what your trying to argue about Les Miz: that its a good show where the music is out of context?! Personally, I think the music suits the story well, whether or not its written in the style of the period). And last, in light of all this, why the heck are you complaining about The Wild Party's music not being connected to the 1920's?!?

"Every stitch of Lippa's Wild Party seems an attempt to impress, or entertain, in a mainstream way that just doesn't suit the piece."

Hm, so writing a score that people will want to listen to and see doesn't suit the piece? Interesting.

"The score is less challenging than LaChiusa's, and therefore has more immediate appeal."

What a bunch of bull sh*t.

In summary, I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers. I just think you need to appreciate an artist's interpretation of a story that would not be accessible to many had it not been done. Granted, there were two musicals produced in the same season revolving around the same story, so it's impossible not to compare the two. But with everything you've said about Les Miz and Evita being legitimate works, I guess I just don't understand all the hating on Lippa. You say the songs feel "mixed" and that there are "too many styles." Well, you find me a musical that utilizes one musical style, and I will proceed to be bored out of my mind.

Just some constructive criticism. I think your thoughts thus far are very insightful, and I've learned a new stance. But they are still awfully hypocritical.

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Updated On: 1/19/06 at 10:44 PM