How to go
What: “The Wild Party”
Where: Herbst Theatre of the Creative Arts Center at Wright State University, 3640 Col. Glenn Highway, Fairborn
When: Nov. 15-24; Nov. 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 17, 23 and 24 at 2 p.m.; Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
Cost: $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; $5 for students
Tickets/more info: Call (937) 775-2500
FYI: Patrons are advised the musical contains adult language and themes.
Andrew Lippa’s provocative and scintillating 2000 off-Broadway musical “The Wild Party” receives its overdue local premiere in Wright State University’s black box Herbst Theatre beginning Friday.
Adapted from Joseph Moncure March’s risque 1928 narrative poem, the musical tells the story of vaudeville performers Queenie and Burrs, whose decadent indulgence reaches fever pitch when they decide to host a party inside their dingy Manhattan apartment. The couple’s flavorful assortment of eccentric, self-absorbed friends contribute to an evening spinning out of control in a sweltering sea of alcohol, desire, rage and disillusionment.
“Queenie and her friend Kate often talk about no limits, no boundaries and no comprise, but the audience will find that is not necessarily the case,” said director Jamie Cordes, who previously directed WSU’s productions of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage.” “There is a limit to things. We must comprise on some level. But I hope audiences see aspects of themselves even though this is a racy story. Addiction is still particularly prevalent. Some of us even have an addiction to certain TV shows. We can’t keep our eyes off the Kardashians. And in this case, the audience will not be able to keep their eyes off the cast and these characters/storytellers. But if there is anyone suffering from addiction, there is still a possibility of redemption, the possibility of making a change. It is the overall message in this piece.”
Cordes, administrator of WSU’s musical theater/acting preparatory program, is also a fan of Lippa’s varied score, which received a Drama Desk Award for outstanding music. The score especially incorporates contemporary flourishes in a stark contrast to Michael John LaChiusa’s intricate, period-driven, Tony Award-nominated version of “The Wild Party,” which also opened in 2000. Best known for writing Tony-nominated music and lyrics for 2010’s “The Addams Family” and creating new tunes for the 1999 revival of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” Lippa, currently represented on Broadway with “Big Fish,” evokes the Jazz Age with tuneful songs including “Out of the Blue,” “A Wild, Wild Party,” “The Life of the Party,” “An Old-Fashioned Love Story,” and “Raise the Roof.”
“I’m very drawn to this music because it so interesting,” said Cordes. “It contains many elements of jazz as well as Broadway-style pop. The orchestrations particularly contain an electric guitar, which seems so out of character for the 1920s, but I love the fact that Lippa has modernized the story. He allows us to relate to the story in 2013 while still feeling like the 1920s.”
The principal cast includes Mark Beyer as Burrs, Paige Dobkins as Queenie, Kelsey Pohl as Kate and Law Dunford as Mr. Black.
“The cast has really enjoyed the process of creating this show in the intimate space of the Herbst Theatre,” added Cordes. “The intimacy is fantastic because the audience is going to be able to see the actors up close and experience more of the piece. The audience is definitely going to feel like they’re a part of the party and a part of the action.”
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