[NEohioPAL]Berko review: WILD PARTY (Kalliope Stage)

[Roy Berko]

There is a ‘WILD PARTY’ going on at KALLIOPE

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times

A friend who had seen Kalliope’s ‘THE WILD PARTY’
related a story that an elderly man, about halfway
through the second act of the show, got up from his
seat, said, “I’ve had enough of this depravity,” and
stumbled toward the exit.  Hey, man, you hit on one of
the play’s central cores...the depravity of some
relationships and the depravity of much of society.  

Moral...if you are like the offended man, are easily
put off by nudity, a simulated orgy, and raunchy
words, you might want to avoid the corner of Lee and
Cedar for a while.  If, on the other hand, you are
interested in seeing passions out of control and
investigate moral decadence, ‘THE WILD PARTY’ is your
thing.

Andrew Lippa, who wrote the book, music and lyrics for
‘THE WILD PARTY,’ is one of the new breed of musical
theatre creators.  He’s in the mold of Jonathan
Larson, the conceiver of ‘RENT’ and Jason Robert Brown
who developed ‘SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD.’   They see life
and place it on the stage with all its realties, flaws
and warts.

‘THE WILD PARTY’ won the Outer Critics Circle Award
for best Off-Broadway musical of 2000.   It was
nominated for 13 Drama Desk Awards including best new
musical

Adapted from a book-length poem by Joseph Moncure
March, the story takes place in the Roaring Twenties. 
It tells of one wild night in the Manhattan apartment
shared by Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville dancer and a
vaudeville clown.  In a relationship marked by abuse,
which mirrors the prohibition and gangster-controlled
era in which they live, the duo throws a party to “end
all parties.”

The event is attended by uninhibited guests including
Black, a handsome and smooth operator and Kate, who
has a “thing” for Burrs.  Queenie and Burrs set out to
make each other jealous.  After a long night of
no-holds-barred, Burrs' jealousy erupts and he is
killed by Black.  Queenie steals out, leaving in her
wake the passed out revelers and a former life. 

The music is a combination of jazz-era sounds, coupled
with contemporary tones.  Though none of the songs
will be remembered for long, the overall effect of the
music is excellent.

The Kalliope Stage production, under the direction of
Paul Gurgol fulfills the authors intentions.  The
realistic, yet stylized staging works well.  The
script needed some cutting, however.   After a while
it felt that we were being overwhelmed with
filth--enough is enough.  Make the point and get on
with it.

‘WILD PARTY’ contains some of the very best dancing
and choreography seen on local stages.  Michael
Medcalf, the founder and leader of Cleveland
Contemporary Dance Theatre, pulls out all the stops in
his creative concepts.  This is dancing and
choreographic staging at its best!   

The beautiful and talented Melody Moore is excellent
as Queenie.  Her “Maybe I Like It This Way” and her
duet “What Is It About Her,” which was sung with Tommy
Foster (Burrs), were compelling. 

Moore is matched by Kalliope favorite Jodi Brinkman
(Kate).  Both as an actress and a singer, Brinkman
continues to impress every time she appears on the
theatre’s stage.  Her version of “Life of the Party”
was a highlight.

Medcalf stops the show with his dancing in “Jackie’s
Last Dance.”  He absolutely lights up the stage
whenever he moves.  He reeks sexuality.

Kyle Wrentz  is physically, vocally and performance
right as Black.  His version of “I’ll Be Here” was
well sung and interpreted.

Madelaine True added to the decadence as the overboard
lesbian.  Her “An Old Fashioned Love Story” was well
performed.

Tommy Foster, though looking overly made up (e.g.,
pencil lines on the forehead for feigning age), is
generally believable at Burrs, though his singing
varied from good to slightly off-key.   

The dancers were fine.  Showing special talents were
Dezare Foster, Cedric Hall and the very talented
Kathleen J. Turner.

Musical director Michael P. Hamilton’s sounds were
well conceived and played.  Lance Switzer’s lighting
design and Kim Brown’s era-right costumes added much
to the production.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  ‘THE WILD PARTY’ is definitely not
for everyone.  For those who are willing to be
challenged and view the unscrubbed version of how some
lead their lives, and want to see a well-staged and
generally well performed but unnecessarily long play,
Kalliope is one place to party until October 15.

For tickets call 216-321-0870 or go on line to
www.KalliopeStage.com.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.

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