STEPHEN KEARLEY reviews THE WILD PARTY at Playhouse on Park
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Playhouse on Park turns The Wild Party into a thrillingly choreographed night of passion, jealousy, and terrible decisions.” -Stephen Kearley, The BroadGAYS
Before anyone sings a note, someone whispers.
Then another voice answers.
Then another.
Queenie is asleep in bed while members of the ensemble quietly surround the audience, calling her name from every corner of the theater as though they’re trying not to wake the neighbors.
It’s a wonderfully unsettling opening that immediately tells us this isn’t going to be a musical we’re simply watching. We’re already inside the apartment.
Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party follows Queenie and Burrs, two vaudeville performers trapped in a relationship fueled by equal parts passion, jealousy, and self-destruction. Hoping to revive what has become a dangerous routine, they throw an anything-goes party in their Manhattan apartment. As the alcohol flows and the guests surrender to every temptation placed in front of them, Queenie becomes drawn to a mysterious newcomer named Black, setting the night on an inevitable collision course.
It’s an ambitious musical for any theater to produce.
The score rarely lets up, the choreography demands almost constant movement, and the story depends on convincing the audience that one increasingly chaotic night can keep building momentum for nearly two hours.
Playhouse on Park rises to the occasion.
Darlene Zoller’s choreography is the undeniable star of the evening. Nearly every musical number feels alive with movement, but never in a way that looks chaotic for the sake of being chaotic. Even as the party spins further out of control, the staging remains remarkably clear. Bodies weave through the space, relationships form and dissolve in seconds, and every dance seems to push the story forward rather than simply decorate it.
Just as impressive is the ensemble itself. This feels like a genuine party rather than a collection of actors waiting for their next featured moment. Even in the background, conversations continue, flirtations begin, arguments simmer, and people quietly react to the drama unfolding around them. It’s the kind of detailed ensemble work that rewards you no matter where your eyes happen to land.
Mollie Downes gives Queenie both confidence and vulnerability, allowing us to see the loneliness beneath the glitter. Trevor Bunce makes Burrs frightening precisely because he can also be charming. His moods shift without warning, keeping both Queenie and the audience perpetually uneasy. Cory Simmons brings a welcome calmness as Black, offering a striking contrast to Burrs’ volatility, while Maddi Bowman makes the most of every moment she has as Kate.
The production also looks terrific. Micah Ohno’s costumes capture the glamour and excess of the Jazz Age with one dazzling outfit after another, while Matt Weisgable’s lighting and Emilee Biles’ sound design help transform Playhouse on Park into a smoky, seductive nightclub where danger always seems to be lurking around the next song. The wigs occasionally look a little rough around the edges, but in a room full of people who have been drinking, dancing, and making terrible decisions all night, it’s a surprisingly easy detail to overlook.
At one hour and fifty minutes without an intermission, The Wild Party asks a great deal from both its performers and its audience. The musical itself can occasionally feel as though it’s circling the same emotional territory, but Sean Harris keeps the evening moving with confidence, never allowing the energy to stall.
Having recently seen Michael John LaChiusa’s version of The Wild Party at New York City Center, I found myself comparing the two adaptations. LaChiusa casts a wider net, drawing out more of the stories unfolding among the other guests in the room. Lippa keeps his focus much tighter, centering Queenie, Burrs, Black, and Kate and giving us more time to understand the relationships pulling those four characters toward disaster. Both approaches have their strengths, but I found myself more invested in Lippa’s version.
The Wild Party isn’t a musical that’s produced very often, and after seeing Playhouse on Park’s production, it’s easy to understand why. It requires an enormous amount of trust between its cast and creative team.
Fortunately, this company has exactly that.
The result is a bold, sexy, beautifully choreographed production that throws itself headfirst into Andrew Lippa’s dark Jazz Age fever dream and rarely loses its footing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performances continue through August 16
Playhouse on Park
244 Park Road
West Hartford, Connecticut
For Tickets and Information: playhouseonpark.org
CAST:
Mollie Downes – Queenie
Trevor Bunce – Burrs
Cory Simmons – Black
Maddi Bowman – Kate
Kathleen Cameron – Madelaine True
Caleb Barton – Eddie
Lily Bucko – Mae
Elijah Martinez – Phil
Gavin Leahy – Oscar
Julia Solecki – Dolores
Joseph Rafael Davila – Jackie
Kenneth Galm – Sam
Sophia Cantin – Nadine
Kate Glennon – Reno
CREATIVE:
Andrew Lippa – Book, Music, and Lyrics
Joseph Moncure March – Author of the Original Poem
Sean Harris – Director
Colin Britt – Music Director
Darlene Zoller – Choreographer
Kim Zhou – Scenic Designer
Micah Ohno – Costume Designer
Matt Weisgable – Lighting Designer
Emilee Biles – Sound Designer
Kyla Madore – Props and Set Dressing
Dr. Kathryn Moncrief – Intimacy Director
Rebecca Donaghy – Production Stage Manager
Meredith Longo - Production Photography