Customer Reviews

The Wild Party (LaChiusa) (2000 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I saw this version of THE WILD PARTY on the first night of previews and was disappointed. The score and cast were strong, but the book and direction (at least then) was lacking. I am sure that they have improved it since then. I bought the CD and have found it very enjoyable. The score is melodic and interesting. The cast is all top-notch, with Toni Collette, Marc Kudish, Brooke Sunny Moriber, and Norm Lewis standing out to me. "Stars" Mandy Patinkin and Eartha Kitt make this one even more popular. This recording shows that the score was never the problem. I highly recommend this CD.

As a side note, there was another musical version of THE WILD PARTY in New York this season. That version, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, played Off-Broadway and also had a very strong score. The CD of that version comes out in July and is also highly recommended. Have fun comparing the two.

Because of my limited tolerance of Mandy Patinkin I decided to purchase Andrew Lippa's musicalization of Joseph Moncure March's poem and instantly fell in love with it. After a few months, I purchased the LaChiusa version and tried to give it a chance. After one listen, I too quickly concluded LaChiusa's version was tedious with no real melodic hooks like those that percolate throughout Lippa's score.

But then I read March's poem.

It became immediately clear that LaChiusa did the better job of capturing March's piece with the jazz-infused music of the era and characterizations of the many partygoers in the poem. (For example, whereas Lippa turned Jackie into a silent chorus boy of a dancer, LaChiusa gives us the charming drunk that March wrote. However, Lippa has assembled a talented cast of singers, particularly Julia Murney's "Queenie" and the wonderful Brian Darcy James fleshing out Burrs (how it would have been great to hear him sing LaChiusa's version instead of the always frustrating though talented Patinkin!) And few if any will argue with Alex Korey's delivery of Lippa's "An Old Fashioned Love Story"; it's simply perfection.)

In addition to "...Old Fashioned...", Lippa's version features a well sung and thoroughly infectious score ("Queenie was a Blonde", "Raise the Roof", "Life of the Party", "Maybe I Like it That Way", "What Is It About Her", "Poor Child", "How Did We End Up Here?" and the aforementioned "Old Fashioned..." all stunners.) But after I listened to LaChiusa's version a few times (and I'll admit that it took a few listens, reading the excellent lyrics along the way) I have grown to love the Broadway (LaChiusa) score. Among its highlights: the driving "Queenie was a Blonde", a wonderful showstopping turn by Marc Kudish in "Breezin Through Another Day", the jaunty "Uptown", the deliciously moody "People Like Us", Toni Collette's moving "Lowdown-Down", and the always commanding Eartha Kitt in her two solos.

So, to those out there trying to decide which THE WILD PARTY CD to purchase I say "Buy both", they each have their merits. If you can only purchase one, ask yourself this: "Do I enjoy Andrew Lloyd Weber's hummable and easily accessible music (buy Lippa)or do I prefer Sondheim's more intriguing and intellectually stimulating music which requires multiple listenings to properly enjoy (LaChiusa)?"

And do yourself a favor and pick up March's poem. It sings all on it's own!

Anybody interested in modern musical theater needs to listen to "The Wild Party." The brilliant score by Michael John LaChiusa is a true ground-breaker. You've never heard anything quite like it. The first time I listened to it, I didn't know exactly what to make of it-- LaChiusa is far from a traditional musical theater composer. After a few listens, though, it just "clicks," and suddenly you realize that this is exactly what musical theater should be-- daring, exciting, and intelligent. This album has become my most-listened-to cast recording of the last five years.

The musical mainly takes place over the course of one long evening, during a party thrown by vaudeville performers Queenie (Toni Collette, striking in her Broadway debut) and her abusive boyfriend Burrs (Mandy Patinkin, never better). As the various misfits, wannabes, and wash-ups congregate at their apartment, the stage is set for a wild night of booze, drugs, and sex. Of course, with those ingredients, things are bound to get out of hand, and they do. Danger lurks under the surface, and the revelry quickly gives way to something more sinister. This is a "dark" musical, no question, and LaChiusa is honest in his depiction of the uglier sides of human nature. That's not to say the show's a downer-- LaChiusa infuses a lot of humor, and ultimately, hopefulness comes out of all the debauchery.

One of the real pleasures of the album is how completely transporting it is-- LaChiusa's music (terrifically orchestrated by Bruce Coughlin) evokes the jazzy 20's (while still feeling modern) and moves at such a breathless pace that you can't help but get swept along by its reckless energy. There are a lot of emotional shifts, and the music and lyrics skillfully reflect the dissonance of these alienated city dwellers. It helps too, that an impeccable cast contributes some really gripping characterizations. In addition to Collette and Patinkin, there's a great supporting cast that includes Eartha Kitt, Yancey Arias, Norm Lewis, and Tonya Pinkins.

It's really a shame that "The Wild Party" seems to be underappreciated. It certainly didn't help that there was another "Wild Party" musical, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, that came out at about the same time. The cast recording for that one is enjoyable and certainly more readily accessible in its traditional sound, but it doesn't thrill like this "Party." Looking back, too, it seems criminal that "Aida" won the Tony for Best Musical Score over this (and over LaChiusa's excellent "Marie Christine"). Still, you get the feeling that years from now, "The Wild Party" will be regarded as a landmark musical, and this recording will be a classic.

Ordinarily when I don't feel moved to post a review immediately upon getting something (book, game, CD, movie), that thing will go unreviewed by me. Not so Michael John LaChiusa's THE WILD PARTY. I've had it for the entire summer, and not a day has gone by without one of the melodies popping up in my head.

The haunting quality is what distinguishes this work from Andrew Lippa's recent show of the same name. (Read further reviews if you need that situation explained to you.) While Lippa's songs are immediately extractible and perhaps more engaging than LaChiusa's complex and heavy numbers, their appeal is far more limited. LaChiusa's score is as dark as the material demands, with even the fun numbers laced with a sense of foreboding and given real purpose in tracing the descent of the characters into tragedy.

The comic and tragic aspects of the story are adeptly handled by the cast. Toni Colette was given a great deal of attention in her Broadway musical debut, and deservedly so; not only is her singing flawless, but she managed to be the center of attention as necessary when the stage also contained Mandy Patinkin and Eartha Kitt. Both of these performers, needless to say, were terrific, with Kitt taking particular honors for her delivery of her two solos. Patinkin comes across better on disc than he did on stage, where the shallowness of his character was a more serious liability. ("Burrs" is the only character who I found to be richer in the Lippa version; in the LaChiusa he lacked the sense of pathos that might have made us care more about his fate.)

These flaws aside, this WILD PARTY is one which sounds terrific on first listen and only gets better. It should be ranked high among the best scores of the past twenty years.

A little bit of "Cabaret" ... a touch of Weill ... a sprinkling of Britten ... some Maury Yeston "Grand Hotel" ... and a lot of LaChiusa make this one of the most interesting, and challenging, musical theatre scores I've heard in a long time. It's one that improves with repeated listening and the full impact can only be achieved by listening to the entire score.

While there are some stand-outs - "After Midnight Dies" comes immediately to mind -this isn't a show about individual songs. It needs to be taken as a whole, more opera than traditional musical theatre. In my opinion, it is a perfect evocation of everything that the 1920's has come to represent - bathtub gin, sex, racism, jazz, drugs, and uninhibited hedonism.

The show also benefits from some knock-out performances, particularly from Toni Collette (who knew this girl could sing? ), Marc Kudisch, Eartha Kitt ("Movin' Uptown" is another showstopper), and a wildly manic Mandy Patinkin (a cross of the Emcee in Cabaret, Pagliacci, and a menacing dose of Clockwork Orange.)

The orchestrations are frenetic and perfectly evoke the drug and alcohol-induced actions of the plot.

Not for everyone ... and it really doesn't surprise me that this show is having trouble finding an audience. It's no "Music Man". But it is an exciting and very important piece of theatrical/musical art.

This, along with such other shows as Floyd Collins, Bed and Sofa, Marie Christine, was one of the handfuls of shows to catch if you wanted to experience the future of the Broadway musical. Though listening to the disc without having seen the show won't conjure up the superb staging, choreography, costumes and concept of a truly powerful piece of work, you'll still be able to savor many pleasures. La Chiusa's songs are first-rate, complex, challenging and though very original they evoke comparisons with Sondheim (especially "Follies"), Weill ("Threepenny"), Gershwin, Cole Porter. The disc version is so well performed, atmospheric, scathing, grown-up and performed by a knockout cast. The voices should have been amped-up at times because the sophisticated and sometimes dissonant orchestrations are often overwhelming. Beautiful, brave work here. If for you the epitome of Broadway is, oh, say, "Aida," "Scarlet Pimpernel" or Andrew Lloyd Webber, this may not be your cup of gin. For others, wow! What a shame this show isn't still running but, like "Follies" in the 70s, watch for it to gain status and acceptance once audiences catch up to it.

First, a confession: I am an ardent admirer of Mandy Patinkin, one of those people who, when asked for a dream cast of a particular show, invariably casts him in the lead. So it was with something more than the usual enthusiasm that I approached The Wild Party. As is the case with almost every CD I listen to, I was unable to get much of a feel for the music the first time through. It's a handicap of mine. However, upon repeated listenings, I find myself enjoying the score more and more. As I listen I find myself reminded repeatedly of Chicago, a score that I like, but don't love. The period being pastiched is similar (if not the same) and they both share a frame of vaudeville. Nevertheless, I suspect that I'll be listening to this more often.

It's more than just the presence of Mandy; after all, he's not on that much of the album. There's something wonderful about these melodies in that, with each listen, I hear new things in them. Melodies that were completely unremarkable a listen ago leap out of the speakers at me now. The first few listens, for example, Gin seemed flat and noisy, with no real melodic muscle. On my latest listen, however, I started to hear the melody, and started to notice the counterpoints. Melodies that were catchy the first time, like Uptown, get more so each time. The music is unpredictable; I guess that's why I prefer it to Chicago's - with that score I feel the songs, the harmonies especially, are somewhat predictable. Not so here. This is much more of a Broadway sound than LaChiusa's previous effort, Marie Christine, and has a jazzy energy that should be more accessible to old-school musical fans.

As far as the performances go, across the board they are impressive. Toni Colette sings wonderfully in character; she refuses to show off her voice or sing a song just for the melody, every note reveals something about the character. Eartha Kitt is in fine form; I had feared her age would be a detractor, but it works perfectly. Yancey Arias, whose performance has received many poor notices, comes across quite soulfully, if not quite as powerfully-voiced as he rest of the cast. As far as Mandy goes - perfect casting. Much as I'd like to pretend otherwise there are roles he is unsuited for; this one fits him to a T. As a Jolsen-esque vaudeville singer, he gets to indulge in the voice characterizations and accents he loves so dearly; however the character's dark and violent nature allows him to act it to the hilt.

There's nary a negative thing to be said about The Wild Party - I'm end this here, not because this is a particularly graceful ending, but because it's time to listen again.

The Wild Party cd captures the spirit of the Broadway show (still playing--run to see it)--its jazzy, lively, fun and dramatic. There are standout performances by Mandy Patinkin (although you miss the best parts if you dont see him live), Marc Kusisch, Tonya Pinkins, Norm Lewis and Eartha Kitt. You will be humming the songs all day. "Queenie was a blonde......"

Ok, I saw the LaChiusa/Wolfe "The Wild Party" back in its first week of previews (March '00) and was both let-down and dissapointed. I then saw that Patinkin ("known for his thrilling vocal extremes"--whateva) stepped out for "vocal strains" and even Collette would be out for a few performances here and there. On top of that, many extra rehearsels were added for the cast to learn new material, scratch some material and face some ammended direction. I decided that it was only be fair to see what they did to this piece...so I saw it again last night. Folks, I dunno what exactly LaChiusa and Wolfe did--but it works--reeeeeally well. "The Wild Party" is now an absolutely smashing piece of theatre which illuminates the Virginia Theatre thanks to it's triple brilliance: cast, direction, and composer. The score is truly outstanding and the ensemble who presents it cannot have been better suited (even Yancey Arias, who plays pimpy Black, was impressive on the cd). While all are talented, the ones who stand out most are Toni Collette, Mark Kudisch, Brooke Sunny Moriber (who is going to definitely going to be seeing her name in the "lights of broadway" real soon), Eartha Kitt, and Tonya Pinkins. I found Mandy Patinkin to be real irritating both on the stage and on the cd. I really liked him in "Sunday..." and "The Secret Garden," but I don't think he suits Burrs well. Anyhow, the CD is absolutely wonderful, the score is stellar (LaChiusa's best in my opinion--although his "Marie Christine" was also deftly intelligent), and the cast is just wonderful. Last year, around this time I was obsessed with Jason Robert Brown's "Parade". Well, this year it's LaChiusa's "The Wild Party". BUY IT.

I saw this show last year here in Chicago and went WILD over it. Great tunes at this party. This recording has a magnificent cast to sing them: Toni Colette, Mandy Patankin, Eartha Kitt, Norm Lewis, Tanya Pinkins and more. It's not kids-play, the score. No "moon and stars" soppy sentimentality; it's not for sissies. It really bears up under repeated listenings. It's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe" meets "Pal Joey" or Stravinsky meets Duke Ellington: whatever, it's a dangerous, sexy brew.