what: the wild party - music/lyrics by michael john lachiusa, book by michael john lachiusa & george c. wolfe
where: victory gardens theatre in lincoln park
accompaniment: dustin!
drinkability: great- VG has a nice full bar in the space.
show length: 90 minutes, no intermission
out of four: four/four
its always a treat to experience more than one show that i feel absolutely deserves a full four/four, and a couple of weekends ago i got to experience yet another knockout of a performance in the month of october: my first bailiwick chicago viewing pleasure.
bailiwick has the advantage of having the means to perform at such a lovely venue that can be so flexible to their needs such as victory garden. the first few pieces once the show got underway were performed on a tiny section of the front of the stage, leaving myself to wonder if the entire 90 minutes would be crammed into such a small space. the energy was invigorating- the cast of fifteen singing and emoting right before you in a shared space, cloistered together in song and sex. soon enough the curtain lifted as did the walls that held the curtain in place, revealing an expansive stage filled mostly of living room with a good view into queenie and burr's bedroom, bathroom and outdoor balcony.
queenie is a vaudville chorus girl who wants to have a party with her lover burrs, a blackface minstel who has a hot temper and a love for gin and entertaining. as we kick into prepping for the party and the first guests arrive, we're given the sense that these parties are a weekly, even nightly occurrence of drugs, dancing and gin. as the night goes on tensions get hotter and so do the performances. tensions rise, jealousy rears its head, and one young girl is educated on the not so glamorous side of being a 20s performer.
queenie (danni smith) and burrs (matthew keffer) are the clear stars of the show- and fit comfortably in those shoes. danni smith dances with such energy and fervor she was a magnet to watch on stage. as crass as it may seem- i couldn't imagine how she slapped her bottom and hips so hard so many times every night to continue on with the same energy (even for multiple performances a day!). keffer was a modern clown- an incredible physical performer with the vocal talent to back it up. he's like every bad boy you saw walking your high school halls- handsome, charming, with a twisted side that could terrify anyone in his path. his bipolar behavior was thrilling to watch and i hope i get the chance to see him perform in the future.
THE WILD PARTY was such a strong ensemble outside of queenie & burrs that its hard to know where to begin. the music gives each character/set of character their chance to show off and tell their tale. the show wouldn't be nearly as successful without the support of the ensemble, and they are reason alone to see the show.
the costumes (designed by theresa ham) were such knockouts- each flattering each actor in different and unique ways. the women were gorgeous, the men tailored and handsome. it was the best of 20s garb and i was envious with glee at the costumes they got to step into each night.
to top it all off the party featured an orchestra consisting of reeds (adam degroot), bass (ben dillinger), trumpet (charles russell roberts) & percussion (scott simon)- unfortunately hidden backstage. that was one of the few let downs of this party- when the curtains raised and we didn't get to see the musicians on stage (while understandably there wasn't much room left for them). the effect of having live musicians verses piped in sound cues was invaluable to the production, so bravo.
THE WILD PARTY is simply not to be missed. costumes, acting, singing, dancing, energy piping through fingertips from start to finish. its a wild ride. the party ends on november 1, so get your tickets.
______________________________
upcoming october shows:
TBD