Encores! THE WILD PARTY’s Late Night Thrills – Review
There are few things more demoralizing than seeing theater kids play sexy, so it was an early sigh of relief to see The Wild Party’s women strut out in genuinely racy garters and fishnets (designed by Linda Cho) in its first scene. Equally thrilling was when one of them revealed herself to be Jasmine Amy Rogers, again transforming herself so fully into character – this time a blonde, 1920s showgirl – without losing her mega-watt star quality. By the time Claybourne Elder’s “ambisextruous” rich kid was getting Eiffel towered by incestuous brothers played by Wesley J. Barnes and Joseph Anthony Byrd, I knew this was a company who knows what it’s doing. In an erotically anodyne theatrical landscape that begs the question of whether the community might still be afraid of cooties, Lili-Anne Brown’s orgiastic staging of Michael John LaChiusa’s 2000 musical proved a welcome respite of “gin, skin, sin, fun.”
If my recollections seem scattered or overly titillated, it’s because I’m still rubbing my eyes in morning-after glory. Based on Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 poem of the same name, LaChiusa’s musical, which he co-wrote with its first director, George C. Wolfe, bravely attempts to recreate such a night. It trusts us to follow its ebbs and flows, and while occasionally pulling individual characters into relief, mostly presents itself as a heavy-breathing, sharp-inhaling tableau. Running an intermission-less two hours and with virtually everybody onstage throughout, it does become exhausting. It’s an admirable gambit that pays off intellectually, if not in typical Broadway instant gratification. The one issue I take with Brown’s otherwise spectacular production is the choice to have Justin Townsend light every cranny of Arnel Sanciano’s tastefully overflowing apartment set equally, taxing us further with finding where to focus.
That’s not to say this is a musical, or production, that lacks instant gratification. (And, for the record, few shows have left me as unable to think of anything else in the following days.) The cast, led by Rogers and a thrilling Jordan Donica, is uniformly terrific, with special mentions for Adrienne Warren, Tonya Pinkins, Jelani Alladin and New York newcomer Maya Rowe. But, really, everyone here shines (impressively so, considering that pesky lighting issue) and the production is made near-mythical by the knowledge it was rehearsed in just two weeks. A few more days and every single beat of these performances would be perfect, which bodes well for the remainder of its short two-week run. Considering the complexity of LaChiusa’s full-throttle jazz score, lushly music directed by Daryl Waters, and some very fun choreography by Katie Spelman, it’s practically a miracle. Anybody know how soon is too soon to score a next fix?
The Wild Party is in performance through March 29, 2026 at New York City Center on West 55th Street in New York City. For tickets and more information, visit here.
