For those who’d eagerly rush to see the musical, Chicago, All in Productions currently offers a variation on a similar theme in the musical The Wild Party. All In Productions does a fine job of executing the musical’s Milwaukee premiere at Next Act Theater.
In 2000, the Manhattan Theater Club’s production of The Wild Party premiered Off Broadway with a sterling cast that featured Brian d’Arcy James, Taye Diggs, and Idina Menzel. Even Menzel’s co-star from Wicked, Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda), appeared in a workshop version of the show.
Blessed with top talent and an intriguingly dark theme, The Wild Party made quite a stir in theater circles. Although the show had a relatively brief run and never made the leap to Broadway, the Off-Broadway version received numerous critical accolades.
The musical is loosely based on a 1928 poem written by an editor at The New Yorker. It captures the era’s fearless abandon, its decadence and its emphasis on “living for today.” The play is centered on a sexually insatiable man and his equally insatiable girlfriend. Once they meet, they are instantly drawn to each other. However, eventually the novelty wears off. When we first meet them, they are crabby, quarreling and unfulfilled. Queenie, the main character, suggests throwing a “wild party” to get Burr’s juices flowing again. She secretly hopes that a bit of flirtatious behavior will light a jealous fire in her man. So the party begins, with an eye-popping, avant-garde guest list: dancers; a pugilist; a very tall, “butch”-type lesbian; a young, wide-eyed ingénue; a much older hooker; a pair of incestuous brother-lovers and a piano player. Unfortunately, the Next Act stage can’t properly contain this moderately sized cast and all the necessary props and sets that go with this musical. The entire show is squeezed into a rather tiny apartment, with a bed on one end, and a bartender/bar at the other. The sense of claustrophobia only increases once the guests start arriving. Not surprisingly, frenetic production numbers literally have no place to go. Every footstep seems choreographed to the point where the cast’s sense of spontaneity is shackled. A larger stage could have broken up the space into a separate bedroom, living room, and kitchen or study. This would give other guests somewhere to go when the spotlight starts to shine on individual guests (much like one recalls from A Chorus Line ). Rather than have cast members sit, motionless, through these songs, it might have been better to have some of them suggest getting a drink in the next room. On opening night of the Milwaukee production, Peyton Oseth captivated the crowd as a charismatic Queenie. This showgirl knows how to strut her stuff. Dressed in a white, fringed flapper dress and a platinum blonde wig (a la Marilyn Monroe), Queenie instinctively draws the attention of every man (and at least one woman) in the cast.
Perplexingly, Oseth seemed to be saving her fine voice for the second act. Her first vocal numbers, though nicely executed, sounded thin and reedy. There isn’t a lot of backstory. One suspects Queenie got through life by depending on her good looks and a “school of hard knocks” type of grit. While Burrs scares her with his quick temper, she also recognizes a kindred soul who “rescued” her during a particularly difficult point in her life.
The one thing Queenie didn’t count on during the party was the arrival of an unknown man, Mr. Black (Ernest Bellafonte). He is escorted to the party by Kate, a washed-up hooker Kate (Amber Smith). As Kate observes Mr. Black falling under Queenie’s spell, she decides to get even by pursuing Burrs. But he has had enough of her in the past. Kate’s desperate attempts to draw his interest evoke only feelings of pity.
Almost the entire show is set to music, with one number blending into the next. The dark-haired Kate is dressed almost serpent-like in a tight-fitting, gold and silver beaded dress (credit to costume designer Christy Siebers). Although Amber Smith’s acting is impressive, what one recalls most easily is her terrific, “knock ‘em out of the ballpark” voice. Her talent is showcased in a couple of solo numbers, most notably, “The Life of the Party.”
Kate introduces drugs to the party’s toxic mix, sending it nearly off the rails. The tone shifts from uptown sophistication to a more primal level.
A standout among the party’s unusual guests is Liz Norton as the lesbian Madeline True. She is tall, husky-voiced and dressed like a man. Her solo, “An Old-Fashioned Love Story,” is worth the price of admission alone. This novelty number demonstrates Norton’s acting chops as well as her voice.
Equally comic is a song by the muscular pugilist, Eddie (Eddie Lupella) and his lady love, Mae (Ashley Retzlaff). Their cute duet, “Two of a Kind,” is heightened by their oversized but cuddly physiques.
As Mr. Black, Ernest Bellafonte is able to showcase his miraculous voice, which is strong and tender at the same time. He sings to Queenie of a better life that awaits her if she will only go away with him. One of the show’s few clunkers is Black’s contemporary wig. (In the 1920s, wouldn’t his hair have been greased down or trimmed almost to his scalp?) Instead, Black sports a wig of long braids that are neatly intertwined.
Before the night is over, the party disintegrates into an orgy (presented in a slow-motion, low-key way). In a climactic moment, a gun goes off. Guests scramble out of the apartment as Queenie sings a soft, contemplative tune that seems like a wrong turn for the ending.
Quibbles aside, the fast, decadent beat of the Roaring Twenties is dancing up a storm at Next Act Theater. The Wild Party may not satisfy all of one’s hedonistic urges, but it’s an exciting, wild ride, nonetheless.
This wasn’t the case with Mitch Weindorf as the mercurial Burrs. Weindorf did a credible job of keeping Queenie (and the audience) on the edge. Even someone like Queenie, who has known Burrs for years, could predict when this attractive and personable man would turn into a verbally abusive, almost violent character. Company co-founder and director Robby McGee realizes that the tension between this couple is what holds this show together.
