Strong Production Values Carry Workshop Theatre's Intense “Wild Party” 

Review by August Krickel.

Strong voices, expert characterizations and vibrant choreography combine in Workshop Theatre's new production of Andrew Lippa's Wild Party  to create a vivid and intense evening of theatre.  Just don't go looking for a musical comedy; instead, expect a violent tragedy set to music, a dark jazz opera that is part Pagliacci, part "Life in the Fast Lane," and part allegory for the excesses of the Roaring '20's.

Queenie (Vicky Saye Henderson) is a vivacious blonde showgirl who likes her men rough and dangerous. Burrs (Doug Gleason) is a popular vaudeville clown who fills that need, an abusive lover whose make-up only partially disguises the demons that torment him. Over the course of an evening fueled by sex, drugs, alcohol and rage, their relationship careens towards its inevitable conclusion, abetted by a Jazz Age rogues' gallery of like-minded acquaintances: a Jack Johnson-like boxer, a Ziegfeld-like producer, a high class call girl and her madam, and assorted show-biz types and hangers-on.  

Two key players in the proceedings are Giulia Marie Dalbec-Matthews and Jason Stokes as an uninhibited party girl and her hunk du jour (Stokes' role, Mr. Black, will be played by Jason Kinsey Thurs. 5/17 through Sun. 5/20, after which Stokes will return for the final week of the run). All four leads have terrific voices, which is important, given that more than 90% of the words are sung, rather than spoken.  A daunting 29 musical numbers are listed in the program, but some "songs" only last a minute or two; when a musical theme or motif changes, we segue into the next song, and so the two and a half hours onstage (with intermission) pass by fairly quickly. 

Especially impressive is how well all four leads are able to sing complex tunes with challenging notes, yet simultaneously depict believable interaction and conflict. Early on, Gleason and Henderson get into a violent confrontation that falls somewhere in between abuse and foreplay; the audience cringes at how real it all looks, while the two performers never miss a note.  Gleason and Dalbec-Matthews played comic leads opposite each other in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels a few months ago, and one imagines
that Burrs' vaudeville character may have been a similar comic buffoon.  Here Gleason manages to appear attractive (in a brutally handsome way, to continue the Eagles parallel) while his muscular, tattooed arms, wife-beater undershirt, and suspenders suggest that this is a rough carny who made good.  It's a bravura performance, if a scary one. 

Dalbec-Matthews once again plays the siren, although a multi-dimensional character instead of a generic bimbo, and accordingly gets her share of the best numbers.  As she proclaims "Prohibition!  They can shove it!" she sums up the prevailing sentiment among the carefree, anything-goes posh big city crowd of the era. Her voice sounds richer and prettier in each performance I see, although this may stem from more complex roles. Stokes smolders just as intensely as he did as Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof  only a few weeks ago, and Henderson is glamorous as always. One feels very sorry and sympathetic for Queenie, but only up to a point, as this is a life she has not only chosen but aggressively sought.

All sixteen cast members deliver solid, professional performances, remaining on stage for virtually the entire show.  Samantha Elkins (a vocal, assertive Galloway in A Few Good Men, and Maggie in the recent Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - although not the night I saw it) is poised, chic and graceful in a role with no lines, as are Addie Taylor and Grace Fanning (two of the Angels from Anything Goes) as similar "jazz hot babies."  Their flapper attire, hairdos and attitude contribute to the authentic period atmosphere, right down to their poses with long, stylish cigarette holders. 

It's an expert combination of blocking (by director Jocelyn Sanders) and choreography (by Barbara House Deimer) that keeps the action going as the party proceeds in close to real time, with guests milling about, moving on to interact with other groups, and never appearing stale or repetitive.  Particularly notable is a moment when the guests gravitate towards a bar area naturally, freeing up space in center stage that's important for what comes next. Sure, they're all crammed upstage together, but nothing looks awkward, and crucial sight lines for the audience are opened up.  Another
masterful directorial touch comes when the four leads are jammed into a tiny bathroom area, arguing, singing, pleading, accusing... and it all makes visual sense somehow.

Musical Director Caroline Weidner leads a lively band that includes a horn section. Lippa's score does all sorts of unexpected melodic things, interjecting flats and sharps at unexpected moments, as if everything were composed for black keys only,  but it accurately establishes the jazz music of the era. His lyrics are often fairly witty and inventive, but due to the nature of the show (and perhaps  the exuberance of the band) they aren't always easily understood, especially in the first act, and in the large group numbers.  Most of the songs in the second act are slower or softer, with a number of solos where the accompaniment is relatively subdued. It's not an overwhelming problem, since with classical opera one doesn't expect to hear every word either; anything important is relayed via movement, dance or expressions.  Still, one hopes that by the production's second week, the singers might enunciate even more, or the band might tone it down a little.  

Costumes by Alexis Doktor are uniformly superb. Randy Strange's set isn't his best or most elaborate, although to some extent that's like saying Let It Be isn't the best Beatles album. It's serviceable, but features two excellent and inventive effects. Much of the action takes place in a bedroom hidden from the sight of the other characters onstage, and Strange's design incorporates a scrim that effectively establishes the separate area, while allowing the audience to see everything.  Also, the one-story apartment setting allows for the band to be placed on a high platform, above, behind and out of sight of both the action and the audience.

Wild Party is certainly not for the young or faint of heart, due to some graphic violence and sexuality. Few of its characters are likeable, although you may certainly enjoy seeing a favorite performer sink his or her teeth into a meaty vocal role. As with an opera or ballet, one goes to share the bigger visual, musical and emotional experience, and not for light comedy or dialogue. As with most tragedies, there's no great lesson learned or insight gained either, beyond the sad realization that we have once again seen an accurate depiction of humanity, with all its sins and weaknesses revealed. 

Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party runs at Workshop Theatre through Sat. May 26^th; call the box office at 799-6551 for ticket information. To read the press release for the show, CLICK HERE.

Review by August Krickel. 

In Hollywood, films are often pitched and sold with simple descriptions:  "Robin Hood done Raiders-style," "the Brat Pack as the 3 Musketeers," or "Bruce Campbell plays Elvis."  In that vein, have I got a theatre pitch for you: Wendla and Moritz from the recent Trustus production of Spring Awakening, Romeo from Shakespeare in Finlay Park a few years back, and the female leads from Cinderella and Hairspray at Workshop last year, as the principals in Grease.  If you instantly recognize these as some of the Midlands' best young singers and actors, then Grease is the word for you, as Town Theatre presents Jim Jacobs' and Warren Casey's perennial paean to teenage life, love, and music in the 50's.

It's not the paper-thin plot (loveable bad boy meets/loses innocent girl, girl then vamps it up to win him back) that led this popular musical to run for eight years in New York (a record at the time) and net seven Tony nominations, but rather its perfect recreation of the pop-rock-candy doo-wop hit singles of the day, and this sparked a huge 50's-nostalgia craze among baby boomers longing for those halcyon days of high school. Under the capable direction of Jamie Carr Harrington, Town's energetic young cast does justice to the familiar material, rocking out with all their heart. There's a wealth of talented teens and young adults working in local theatre currently, and more and more youth-themed shows are being produced, from the shows above to High School Musical, West Side Story, and the recent Passing Strange.

What's even more gratifying is that these young performers never got the memo from their grandparents about only working at one venue, and so they turn up everywhere.  While I've seen the famous movie adaptation twenty times or more (it runs almost every week on VH1 or VH1 Classic) I never really felt I was watching teenagers.  Here, age-appropriate actors bring out just the right kind of boisterous exuberance and giddiness demanded by the material.

Catherine Hunsinger plays the naive good girl Sandy, although thankfully not so naive as her doomed character in Spring Awakening. Her singing voice is rich and pretty, and early on you may be thinking "Olivia who?"  Her summer love Danny is played by Josh Kern, who is likewise up the task vocally. Hunter Bolton plays Danny's sidekick Kenickie, although you might expect the darker, more brooding Kern to take on that role - both are to some extent playing against type. This takes the count up to six of completely different, believable characterizations I've seen Bolton create (I'm not counting "random French cafe patron # 3" in Victor/Victoria, although come to think of it, that was certainly believable too.). His athleticism on "Greased Lightning" (which delightfully features an actual sporty little MG) and general swagger are highlights of the show.

Unlike the film, a number of the supporting characters get solo numbers in which to shine, featuring songs that never made it onto the screen.  A particular favorite was "Those Magic Changes," which starts out with Doody (Patrick Dodds) learning a chord progression on a guitar, builds into a variation on "Little Darling" by the Diamonds, and ends up as a rock extravaganza that covers just about every teen romance theme ever written.  Dodds, whose heartbreaking performance in Spring Awakening still lingers with me, does a super job, falsetto and all, and actually gets to smile on stage for a change.

Equally impressive is Sirena Dib as boy-crazy Marty, singing about her soldier boyfriend in "Freddy My Love." The song rips of....errr... homages "Eddie My Love" by the Teen Queens, and is supposed to get some laughs for its cheesy girl-group harmonies and choreography, but also lets Dib show off an impressive voice, and is really quite sweet and adorable. Special note must also be made of Jenny Morse and Mark Zeigler, who duet on "Mooning," a witty send-up of all those "mooning over you" love songs, with the added double entendre of that other kind of mooning. As with many combinations of singers in this performance, their voices blend together beautifully; when they hit their last high note, my friend (who doesn't follow musicals that much) leaned over and simply said "Wow." 

Also doing good work are Leandra Ellis-Gaston as tough girl Rizzo, who may be the first in history to drop the F-bomb on the Town Theatre Stage (even if it's only the Italian F-bomb, i.e. "fangu"), Charlie Goodrich as goofy Sonny, and especially Haley Sprankle as hapless would-be cosmetologist Frenchy. Frenchy doesn't get a solo; instead Garett Bright smoothly serenades her in "Beauty School Dropout," but her expressions are just priceless.  She has one of the stronger voices in the cast (you can always tell where she is in group numbers) and is one of the better dancers as well. Add comic timing to that, and Sprankle is a remarkable triple threat. Victoria Wilson (as evil cheerleader Patty) makes the most of her time on stage; at one point, Wilson and Hunsinger complete a perfect stage slap, which is almost impossible to pull off.  And Frank Thompson (as the original creeper, DJ Vince Fontaine) does smarmy like no one can do smarmy, which is a compliment...I think.  No, it is.

Tracy Steele's choreography is fine, although somewhat limited by the large cast and the occasionally cramped space on stage.  Much of who does what is dictated by the script, but I wish that there had been a way for some of the best dancers to be featured more. One comedic moment not to be missed is graceful Frenchy, paired with awkward Doody, who frantically counts the numbers to the steps he has memorized.

  Occasionally cast members hustle to get to a particular spot, then obviously wait for the music to begin, and this sometimes detracts from a few of the solos, where a singer appears to be thinking "OK, this is my big number... ok, deep breath...now!"  I suspect by the time you read this, however, timing issues will have been dealt with, as the cast gets accustomed to the rhythm of full runs. Musical Director Christopher A. McCroskey creates a big sound with just a four-man band, and Bryson Borgstedt's work on saxophone is outstanding. Lori Stepp's costumes are mainly limited to basic (but authentic) jeans, t-shirts, jackets and capri pants, but in the slumber party scene, each girl wears pajamas that are exactly what the character would choose. 

Danny Harrington's set design includes some inventive motifs, with an irregular sort of trapezoid shape framing the stage, detailed, sturdy flats that also incorporate the odd yet intriguing angles and are dropped in from above, and a vivid color scheme of turquoise, hot pink and lavender. Images of James Dean and Marilyn loom above to define the time (and the place, and the motion, and the way we are feeling.)  I was especially fond of the appropriately girly wallpaper chosen for a bedroom slumber party scene, and a striking black/white/red checkerboard pattern that we see in the local hangout, the Burger Palace.  Another striking visual effect occurs when blank fabric descends behind Kern to create a drive-in movie effect, with authentically hokey cartoons hawking concessions. 

With all this excellent attention to detail, I was somewhat surprised that the main set seemed awfully claustrophobic at times, even though plenty of levels and stairs were incorporated. A separate set of stairs, rolled in for Teen Angel's entrance, wobbled fairly precariously, and one scene, set in a basement, played out in front of bare black curtains (although it didn't matter, since the performers were the focus).  I really wonder what might have been accomplished with an extra week of construction, or a dozen more hands hammering nails and painting flats.  Still, overall the set is quite visually appealing.

For me, the music is everything in a show like this, with lively original songs capturing the feel of actual Top 40 hits from the era. Some in the audience may have grown up with the movie and/or the soundtrack, while others may recall their own high school days.  But let's be honest - plenty of theatre-goers are rolling their eyes as I describe a show about teenagers singing 50's songs. Forty-plus years into its fame, Grease is what it is, and one's decision whether to get excited about a musical like this has probably been made long before the curtain ever rises. Town Theatre, however, has some of the very best young performers in the area doing what they do best, and Grease is a great vehicle in which they can shine. 

Grease runs through Sat. May 26th; call the box office at 803-799-2510 for ticket information.