Ithaca College Theater’s performance of “The Wild Party,” based on the off-Broadway musical by Andrew Lippa, truly lives up to its name. At Friday’s show, cast members threw energy into every number, and superb choreography carried some of the numbers that felt out of place.
A deep and dark (though periodically hard to follow) story underlies the frothy front of the musical, molding an enjoyable show into one that effectively sends a message about morality.
The opening number begins with lines from the 1928 poem by Joseph Moncure March on which the musical is based, “Queenie was a blonde and her age stood still / And she danced twice a day in vaudeville.” This vague yet affecting statement sets the tone for the next two hours. The musical numbers shift between vaudevillian acts of energy and ecstasy in “What a Party” and more introspective pieces like “Maybe I Like it This Way.”
The ensemble is perfectly tuned into the kind of energy required of each number, packing each piece with either emotional or physical energy. There are occasions, particularly during the first act, when numbers centering on ancillary characters — such as the lesbian Madame True, played by junior Emily Brazee — interrupt the central narrative. Though expertly performed and entertaining, the songs seem a bit out of place. The numbers in the second act take on a darker tone and focus on the central story of volatile and intertwined relationships between the unhappily married Burrs (junior Eric Morris) and Queenie (senior Meredith Beck), and new couple Black (junior Michael Haller) and Kate (senior Catherine Lena Stephani).
Impeccable acting compensates for some fine points of the story that do not hold up. While it is understandable that the abused Queenie seeks revenge upon Burrs, why she hesitates taking up with the immediately smitten Black is not clear. More mysterious is why Queenie’s old friend Kate — the antithesis of Queenie in every aspect, right down to their color palettes, with Queenie dressed in white and Kate in black — goes after Burrs. Since these relationships set the show’s ultimately tragic events into motion, additional explanation would have been more fitting.
But the actors perform admirably with the given material, recalling the atmosphere and mannerisms of 1920s characters. Beck is all wide-eyed faux waif with a gleam of malicious plotting behind her virginal exterior, her voice warbling like a real vaudeville showgirl. Morris fully transforms into the unlikable, violent Burrs, personifying the nadir of male chauvinism. Yet it is Stephani that is particularly impressive as Kate. She infuses her character’s every movement with the frenzied energy of a middle-aged woman trying to hold onto her youth and her desires without thinking of the possible consequences. Her liveliness makes each of her featured moments high points of “The Wild Party.”
The two-tiered set brings the cast’s energetic performances to life. Candles placed throughout Burrs and Queenie’s loft provide soft, low lighting — perfect for the show’s serious moments. The use of the orchestra pit for the bathroom, where a key point of the plot takes place, effectively highlights the importance of the events that transpire there.
Transformative acting and use of the performance space come together under the skilled direction of Norm Johnson, associate professor of theater arts. His solid guidance ensures the difficult subject matter of “The Wild Party” doesn’t lose its poignancy.
“The Wild Party” is showing tomorrow at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. in Hoerner Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office in the lobby of Dillingham Center.
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