You’re invited to “The Wild Party”
Theater II’s latest musical shows a roaring good time
By Adam Lowe, contributing writer
Posted on September 28, 2006

If you are reading The Breeze in hopes of finding the whereabouts of a violent vaudevillian clown, music from the 1920s, booze, and partially, if not mostly naked, JMU students, then you’ve come to the right place. The Stratford Players’ production of Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party,” provides all of this and more in its risqué rendition of this 2000 off-Broadway musical.

After being handed a program in the disguise of a party invitation, the band strikes up from behind a city skyline at night and the show begins.

The audience is introduced to Burrs and Queenie, two explosive lovers who have found the that spark between them is fizzling. After Burrs takes a lovers’ spat too far, Queenie decided to throw a party where she’ll publicly embarrass him with his own jealousy. What she doesn’t plan on is falling for another guest, Black.

As drinks run low and inhibitions run even lower, Black’s date Kate tries to seduce Burrs, Queenie seduces Black (who seduces her right back) until it seems all the party guests are caught up in this drunken debacle. Senior Laura Yanez’s incredible voice and svelte moves steal the show from her first entrance as Kate, focusing the attention away from the chaotic party scene and onto her abundance of talent. Her flapper-like character starkly contrasts Jake Odmark’s statuesque portrayal of Black, a smooth voice coming from a hardened posture.

A violent confrontation occurs between the four lovers, and ultimately ends up with a bullet in someone’s back.

The over-the-top character Burrs was successfully executed by Joel Gerlach as his depiction of the scary vaudevillian villain clown will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering which of his unstable emotions will emerge next, as sophomore Julie Schroll’s role as Queenie shows off her gift for the dramatic with her emotional singing and acting bringing tears to both her eyes and the two girls sitting next to me. Equally talented are those playing the lesser characters, once again proving the adage that there are no small parts, just small actors.

The black-and-white costumes, set and props enable creative silhouetting with the cool purple, pink and blue lights in the first act, switching to more fiery oranges and reds in the second. This all adds to the feeling that you’re watching one of the first vaudevillian talking pictures in Technicolor. The choreography improved drastically throughout the show, moving from simple movements to brilliantly drunken dances in synchronization, especially the interlude in the midst of the melee between the four lovers.

Based on Joseph Moncure March’s epic poem, Andrew Lippa’s personal Web site describes the musical as a “tale of passions out of control” that “makes us realize that moral decadence is not only limited to our past.” Lippa’s “The Wild Party” first appeared at the Manhattan Theater Club off-Broadway in February 2000. It went on to win the Outer Critics Circle Award for best Off-Broadway musical, and was nominated for 13 Drama Desk Awards in 2000, winning for best music. “The Wild Party” will show from Sept. 26 to 30 in Theatre II. Tickets are available for $3.