our next stop in the good ol' Y2K is a rather interesting one. we'll actually be learning about two musicals in one post, the first of which...The Wild Party!
and the second? The Wild Party!
no, you are not seeing double. and yes, for the first time ever, two musicals with the same name and based on the same work opened in New York in the same year. ubuhh?? how is that even possible?? show ideas getting leaked by insiders? i think so...both musicals are based on an epic poem of the same name by Joseph Moncure March. basically, the poem is about a huge shitshow during Prohibition filled with alcohol, cocaine, and orgies (oh my!). it was published in 1928 and obviously banned rather immediately. good strategy by March though; if you want your controversial work to be successful, publish a hugely raunchy book that gets banned, and then for future publications, tone it down a notch. it's all relative.
let's examine the first of the two (the one with the weird coked out diva black girl with short hair on the CD cover). now, it's up in the air as to which one was more successful, but this version of The Wild Party, with music & lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, was the only one that made it to Broadway...but then did a semi-bellyflop after just 68 performances. this version, according to March fans, stayed more true to the poem and succeeded at displaying every aspect of March's work. LaChiusa's music stays true to the time...jazzy sexy tunes. LaChiusa also wrote ANOTHER musical that premiered in 2000 (talk about a year of coincidences), which i might get into later... he also recently wrote the music & lyrics to Giant, which was produced by Signature Theatre just down the road (woo DC!).
here's a clip of LaChiusa's The Wild Party. (aside: notice the broad arms and shoulders by the lead. good lord.):
notable performers in the LaChiusa version:
Mandy Patinkin
(most famous for his lead role in Sunday in the Park with George alongside my one and only soulmate Bernadette Peters. his greatest performance: Inigo Montoya in the movie The Princess Bride...see below)
Toni Colette
(Australian movie star seen in Muriel's Wedding, About A Boy, Little Miss Sunshine. the highest paid Australian actress, only behind the divalicious Nicole Kidman)
Eartha Kitt
(yes, the diva black disco singer. this was one of her last roles in any form of performance, having recently passed away of cancer. the only other notable Broadway performance: Timbuktu! ... an African tribe twist on the horrible musical Kismet ... don't ask)
a note: the lead role played by Colette was supposed to be Vanessa Williams (SO overrated, btw), but she got knocked up instead. oopsie.
my name is Mandy Patinkin. you wouldn't let me "finish the hat". prepare to die:
the other version (the one that looks like a vampire made it to the party and is biting a party guest's ear off) was written by Andrew Lippa, and what a guy he is! he wrote the music & lyrics for the recently-premiered Broadway musical The Addams Family. he's been the "music director" for the amaahhzing Kristin Chenoweth for over 10 years, and speaking of the delicious diva, Lippa wrote a handful of new songs for the 1999 revival of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, including the killer song that Chenoweth sang as Sally Brown: "My New Philosophy". i know it's not The Wild Party, but i had to post it:
ok enough straying from the subject. k-chen distracts. ANYWAYS, the Lippa version did not make it to Broadway (i know, i know, another musical that wasn't nominated for Best Musical at the Tony's...but many will agree that the 2000 Tony's were a joke, so give me a break). however, it did have a pretty successful run Off-Broadway production, winning a Drama Desk for Best Music and an Outer Critics Circle award for Best Off-Broadway musical. the cast is much smaller in this production, and the plot line is mostly centered around the love triangle among the lead characters (and involves death like AIDA...imagine that). but they still included the orgy, obvi. apparently they just released Lippa's The Wild Party: School Edition so that this show about sex, orgies, drugs, and illegal alcohol can be produced by high schools. great idea, guys.
this one also had more modern music that strayed from the time period it was based in, which received harsh criticism. regardless, i'm a big fan of the music.
notable performers in the Lippa version:
Brian d'Arcy James (Sweet Smell of Success with John Lithgow, Titanic: The Musical...also recently played Shrek in Shrek the Musical and the dad in the Off-Broadway version of Next to Normal with Alice Ripley before the show went to Broadway [sad.] ... his voice is literally my ultimate favorite out of any Broadway star)
Idina Menzel (obvi Elphaba in WIIIICKEEEED and Maureen in RENT [which was her FIRST Broadway apprearance, i might add...that bitch])
Julia Murney (speaking of Elphabas, she also played one...the first replacement for the National Tour)
Taye Diggs (one of the hottest men alive. the end. he's shirtless in the next video, ps.)
here's a (super impressive) scene from the Lippa musical. i freaking love this song. if you want to be amazed, listen the harmonies by d'Arcy James, Diggs, and Murney at about 3:35. epic. as is Taye's body:
so there they are. The Wild Party and The Wild Party. two musicals, one giant coke-induced orgy. did i mention Taye Diggs' body?
Thank you for this tutorial! I was interning at Signature while they were producing "Giant". I actually FedExed LaChuisa a copy of the cast recording right after they recorded it... and then he reemed me out via email because the CD broke in the mail. So, I think he's a prick.
ReplyDeleteBut God, Taye Diggs is fucking hot.