Hat’s off — from fedoras to cloches, from feathered caps to top hats — to The Gallery Players, for reviving the flamboyant musical, “The Wild Party.” The production kicks off the New Year in high theatrical style and stirs up a real musical tempest in Brooklyn.
With music, book and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, posh lighting by John Eckert, Jazz Age costumes by Summer Lee Jack, this is racy stuff, made racier by choreographer Brian Swasey and musical director Jeffrey Campos. This musical is, mark you, a kind of dark parable about the Roaring Twenties, and how its razzamatazz down-spiraled — fast. Derived from Joseph Moncure March’s 1926 narrative poem, the work is freshly imagined under the sane and sober direction of Neal Freeman.
Forgive my clobbering you with so many names, but credit must be given where its due. In compensation, I’ll briefly outline the story, which centers on a quartet of characters. In this new adaptation, Queenie, a gorgeous vaudevillian dancer, and Burrs, her abusive beau, decide to throw a wild party, which pushes their love-hate relationship over the edge.
The other couple? They are your stereotypical pretty boy with his hard-boiled doxy. The setting is the Big City. And, once the party gets underway, there will be a lot of two-timing among this foursome.
I have no major quarrels with the current production. In fact, one of the main reasons it pulled me in from the get-go was that it’s — first and foremost — a true revival. That is, it breathes zesty, new life into the seven-year-old musical. Without being gimmicky, the show creates its own frisson.
Glancing back to the original production at the Manhattan Theater Club in 2000, the musical arrived like the proverbial rose with a thorn. The critics, without totally panning its premiere, were hesitant in giving it a thumbs-up. Many felt that its sizzling content and anything-goes attitude was too frivolous and verged on vulgarity. Nonetheless, the critics and public eventually came round. And the show went on to win the Outer Critic Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Best Music.
What I like about this particular revival is that the creative team seems to adhere more closely to the actual text of March’s book-length poem. The former, and more lavish, MTC production seemed more intent on the high-gloss effects, or perhaps dramatically appropriating to the stage the fashionable illustrations of Art Spiegelman’s 1994 publication of “The Wild Party.” The Gallery Players production takes up that slack, and you get a much meatier rendering of March’s work here.
March’s poem is a slow burn. And its bebop verse rhythms (along with some doggerel) poses challenges to even the most astute creative team. Furthermore, its subject matter — sex (of all varieties), booze and hot jazz — makes any stage-adaptation a tough bet. To be sure, the work can turn trashy in a nanosecond under the wrong direction. But to Freeman’s credit, he takes the spicy material and gives it lots of jazzy substance. Without taking the narrative poem verbatim, he’s able to retain enough of the language, and injects the necessary adrenaline, to fit the two-act structure.
The acting? I found that the principals were well cast, but some supporting actors were uneven in their performances of various musical numbers and scenes. Outstanding was Nicole Sterling, playing Queenie. In many respects, the part of Queenie is the lynchpin to any production. And, fortunately, Sterling has the voice and the talent for the flapper-fatale.
Another notable performance was turned in by Julie Cardia, as Kate, the epitome of a Jazz Age demimondaine. Cardia turns social climbing into a sleazy art, and even outdoes Queenie, at times, with her seductive glances.
Jonathan Hack as Burrs, superbly inhabited the romantic aspects of his role, and was also a good fit as “a very scary clown.” True, he was a tad shorter in physical stature than Sterling — and my first impression was that he was miscast in his lead role. However, his bulldog determination and tenacity made him ultimately right for the part.
Michael Jones exudes humor, a caddish wit, and a certain urbaneness as Mr. Black. But like every other character on stage, one wouldn’t want to turn one’s back for very long with him at the party. In short, nobody can be trusted in this place where anything will be done for kicks.
Not surprisingly, the music is the thing in the show. Forget spoken dialogue. This is a totally sung-through musical — and Andrew Lippa’s music and lyrics coalesce like a charm. The opening number, “Queenie is a Blonde,” sets the tone of the piece and calibrates the emotional energy of the rest of the scenes. But it is the second song, “The Apartment,” that better captures the lackadaisical personality of Queenie (who sleeps till noon). This song strikingly spells out the sexual tension, and hidden jealousies, between her and Burr.
The show is a veritable feast of songs. Sixteen numbers zigzag through Act One, and Act Two brings the grand total to 19. My favorites? Perhaps the powerhouse solo, “An Old-Fashioned Love Story,” belted out by veteran Gallery Players actor Tauren Hagens as Madelaine True, in Act One, as the predatory lesbian.
The jazz-inspired songs develop the characters and the story simultaneously, and more than a few numbers in the show are memorable — and hum-able.
What works against the production, in my view, is its sheer length. After two-and-a half-hours, the show sagged under its own musical weight. Aren’t there a few scenes that might be cut, or trimmed, an iota? I realize I’m nitpicking. But even with the intermission, the show seemed like a marathon of songs.
I would have liked a more sangfroid finale as well. This is no happily-ever-after story, and perhaps a more visually chilling tableau in the last tragic scene would heighten the theatrical power.
This is my second visit to The Gallery Players this season. And I must admit that they have succeeded, once again, in bringing first-rate talent into their intimate, no-frills venue. This might not be a flawless production, but snub this “Wild Party” at your own risk.
The Gallery Players presents “Wild Party” through Feb. 24, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm. Also, 2 pm matinee performances will be offered on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23. The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope. Tickets are $18, $14 for seniors. Tickets can be purchased by calling TheaterMania at (212) 352-3101 or by visiting the Web site www.galleryplayers.com.
