The Wild Party

Andrew Lippa's Wild Party is a lusty cocktail with strong flavors of Chicago and Cabaret, a hint of Rent, all mixed in with Lippa's own musical brilliance, visceral emotionality, raw s=xual power, and fantastic drama! This show SMOLDERS, shakes, spins, smiles and SCREAMS.

To put it bluntly, this show is HOT.

Brian Darcy James' portrayal of "Burrs", the violent, rough lover of Queenie is incredible. This guy is a powerhouse...his intensity, his vocal talent, his acting, his pitch-perfect portrayal of a tormented, troubled man, full of lust and jealousy, who is on the verge of losing it, is PHENOMENAL!

It's an All-Star cast with huge, belty, vocally demanding performances from all... Every song is strong and entertaining with few exceptions.

The most stand-out songs being:

--"What is it About Her?"- Burrs' main solo and probably one of the best male Tenor musical solos in existence. Gauranteed to make any woman (or man) hot under the collar.

--"Make Me Happy"- the dramatic climax. The intensity of Burrs' acting and vocal performance in this, and the brilliant vocal interplay between Burrs, Black and Queenie, make this the 2nd best piece in the whole show.

--"Poor Child" is a great Four-some sung by the Love Quadrangle- Queenie, Burrs, Black and Kate. (the main characters of the show) Again, musically outstanding... the notes the four hit in harmony pack a punch and will have you hitting the rewind button again... and again.

--"How Did We All Come To This"- Queenie's lament and the closing song of the show. Beautiful, poignant, and, of course, deliciously dramatic.

--"Juggernaut"- A raucous, dancy song that starts off with Queenie's smooth seduction of Black, and then quickly kicks into high gear with Kate, (played by Idina Menzel), leading a swingin' good time and ending with some great, wailing, Menzel riffs.

If you like fast-paced drama, intense emotion, raw sensuality, and scary vocal talent, then Lippa's Wild Party, (a musical ahead of its time), is for you!

This CD is worth every cent of its price- and then some!!

I bought the CD as soon as I accepted the part, and even though Nadine only has one line throughout the show, I was thrilled that I was going to get to be involved in some of those big chorus numbers. This score has everything- rocking charleston-type numbers, vaudville tunes, and slow, sensual jazz.

The only way I can describe this show/CD is a roller coaster. It never quite lets you catch your breath. You get these huge, smashing ensemble numbers, and then it slips into a slow song, but then that gets dramatic and intense, and then a calm song will show up... but then you're swept right back into the intenseness. Let me also say that the whole show in general is like that- and I can tell the audience feels that too. There's no telling what will happen next.

I've listened to the other version, and I definitely like this one better. There seems to be a much wider variety of musical styles in this version, whereas the LaChuisa version seems to meld together and almost get boring. Which should NEVER happen in a show this intense and this wild.

I've made all of my friends listen to this CD, and now they want to buy it, even the ones who don't necesarily like show tunes- that's how good it is!!

http://beam.to/otwp (my theater)