The Dio has a very ‘Wild Party’
PINCKNEY, Mich.–It is a quirk of the American theatre that the two genres that are money in the bank, it seems, are Disney adaptations and 1920’s decadence.
Chicago, Cabaret and now The Wild Party. The musical, by Andrew Lippa, is based on a narrative poem written in the jazz age by Joseph Moncure March. The show dates back to 2000 when it debuted in New York. More recently, it was revived on Broadway with Sutton Foster in the lead female role.And now it figures to be a fixture in regional theater.
The Dio’s artistic director Steve DeBruyne, who also plays the male lead, Burrs, says the score has been reverberating with him since he first heard a few songs burned on a CD for him 18 years ago. He has since wanted to be in it. His passion more than shows through in this excellent, compelling production.
The story revolves around two couples with bawdy 20’s Hollywood sensibilities, and explores the time-worn and always present human conflict of love and hate, with steamy sex running through the electric wires of the relationships with plenty of cross-current.
Burrs is a clown by profession and a brute of a man. Queenie, his lover, played by Elizabeth Jaffe, organizes “the party” as a means of putting Burrs in a bad spot, to embarrass him, as payback for his bad behavior. Queenie’s cocaine-addicted friend, Kate (Lauren Landman) brings Black (Mike Sandusky) into the equation, and the foursome gets complicated when Kate pursues Burrs and Queenie starts jonesing for Black. The tension in the story, which remains raw and ribald practically from beginning to end, is made all the more taut when you consider the 20’s taboo of the thuggish Burrs possibly losing his girl to a handsome African-American man.
The credibility of the story revolves quite a bit around the allure and magnetism of Queenie and her ability to command the hearts and libidos of the two men. Ms. Jaffe has a natural magnetic quality that we have long admired, especially since she played Sally Bowles in The Dio’s Cabaret, that does not come from being a magazine-cover beauty, but rather from a draw that comes from behind her eyes and in the allure of her full, emotional and excellent vocals. Few actresses working in Michigan can combine heartfelt and edgy acting, which Jaffe grounded early in her career in comedic character roles, with a compelling singing voice like Ms. Jaffe.
Mr. DeBruyne’s love for this show comes through in his depiction of Burrs, a tragic clown, and spotlights his range as an actor, as well as delivering first-class vocals in his role. That he can deliver a performance like this while serving as artistic director, director, co-choreographer and, yes, even waiter on tables before the show and at Intermission, is a feat.
Mr. DeBruyne’s eye for casting is very much on display, as well. Mr. Sandusky nails his part and his vocals, ever confident in his character’s allure. Ms. Landman is top notch in conveying the slutty ethos, not to mention eros, of Kate.
The ensemble of a dozen actors playing party-goers and a ticked-off neighbor includes some of the consistently best actors around: David Moan (2018 Nominee for Best Lead Actor in a Musical), Brian E. Buckner (double nominee for 2018 Wilde Awards for music direction); Sarah Brown, Jared Schneider, Carrie Jay Sayer. There isn’t a weak link in the bunch. Ms. Brown’s lesbian character is delish. And Norma Polk’s costuming and make-up to give her a Joan Crawford-like appeal was a nifty choice. The choreography team of Mr. DeBruyne and Xavier J. Bush have designed dance numbers that go beautifully with the time and the Lippa songs.
Lippa’s songs are catchy and some of them truly soar–though his lyrics, at times, can be a bit strained. But Music Director Brian Rose delivers on orchestrations with his out-of-sight five-piece orchestra. Practically the whole show is sung, with very little straight spoken dialogue. The music is very challenging, with considerable dissonant arias–tougher for the actors than Sondheim in my opinion. Indeed, inspired by a poem, The Wild Party has a feel of a musical theatre opera, not unlike Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.
One of the stars of this show is the set and lighting designed by Matthew Tomich. Mr. Tomich, Mr. DeBruyne’s partner in the Dio, has shown himself over the years to be highly skilled in his design and building skills, and what he can accomplish with one-piece sets. In this, he creates the 1920s apartment, but attention to detail is hard not to notice, from the glowing city buildings behind the apartment to the depth of the set that allows doors to be left open with real-looking rooms behind them. And a large pivoting section of the set allows an effective set change to show the action inside a bathroom. Too, lighting the party and bawdy scenes is done with great judgment, not over-using the inevitable red lighting.
The Wild Party is the best production the Dio has staged to date, surpassing previous triumphs that were Violet and The Bridges of Madison County.
One wonders how the show will be received in conservative Pinckney and Livingston County. After all, the party is quite wild; people strip down to their undies, and sex is simulated in the mother of all petting parties. Hopefully, the community will embrace risk-taking by the DeBruyne-Tomich team. The Wild Party comes in a string of diverse and interesting choices at the theater, which has recently included the practically Hallmark-Channel worthy Daddy Longlegs (nominated for a 2018 Wilde Award for Best Musical) and the upcoming Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical.
Every good theatre must be allowed some edgy show programming, and the Dio is to be commended for giving Livingston County all it can handle in doses for all audiences.