THE WILD PARTY Comes to the Morgan-Wixson Theatre

A thrilling revival of Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY promises to take audiences on a non-stop emotional journey to the fraught and (seemingly) fantastic 1920s. Sizzling jazz, emotional anthems and contemporary music combine to pull audiences into a world of careless, conflicted characters pushed to their limits. Love and longing, lawlessness and lust, and risk and revenge drive mysterious strangers, vaudevillian lovers, and friends who live on the edges of a seemingly glamorous and freewheeling age together for one debauched night. THE WILD PARTY shows how the roaring 20s of this century and the last still have a lot in common, asking audiences "how did we come to this?"

THE WILD PARTY, with book, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa (THE ADDAMS FAMILY, BIG FISH) won the 2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, Lucille Lortel Awards for Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design, the 1999-2000 Obie Award for Best Choreography and was nominated for twelve additional Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding New Musical.

Director Kristin Towers-Rowles finds this revival to be especially timely now, stating, "What I love is how it represents what the Roaring 20s really were beyond the immediately reflexively cute image we get when we think of shows like Thoroughly Modern Millie. The times were a lot more raw, divided, fearful and lawless. The authoritarian rules of Prohibition created a domino effect of people constantly breaking the law. It was the era of bathtub gin, drug abuse, multiple sexual partners and people being more public about gender identity and sexuality. And within that specific world are universal themes like abuse, revenge, loss and the rocky path to redemption - especially what that meant for a woman desperately needing agency over her life."

The background for the show comes directly from a depiction of the real 1920s. As Towers-Rowles explains, "Andrew Lippa based his show upon Joseph Moncure March's 1926 book-length narrative poem The Wild Party. It was very controversial and banned in its time. But what Lippa brought to life in this show is a story of a time period greatly mis-represented in art and media. In the midst of real, gritty 1920s chaos where Americans were just emerging from a plague, we have people typically seen as being on the fringes of society essentially trapped together in this party playing out these complex, yet universal human emotions and experiences. And the play is unflinching in displaying very uncomfortable truths about misogyny and racism as well as society's insatiable thirst for youth. We are still grappling with all these things today."

Primarily a sung-through musical, THE WILD PARTY uses wide-ranging lyrical and atonal musical motifs from jazz to opera to express how entrenched or how progressive certain characters are. "The more deeply you listen, the more you will get out of the show," enthuses Towers-Rowles. "Another really beautiful aspect of this production is how dance is used as part of the vocabulary of the story. Michael Marchak's incredibly detailed choreography, inspired by the original and productions he has been involved with, is the unnamed character in the show. It consistently is an outward expression of tension, conflict, and sexuality within each character and consistently drives the story."

For Morgan-Wixson Theatre President Michael Jackson-Heimos, THE WILD PARTY is both a bold choice and a way to bring a chapter in the life of the respected, 75-year old community theater full circle. "In March 2020, THE WILD PARTY played to standing ovations to a sold out preview audience and closed the next day before our official opening due to the Covid lockdown," he said. "This production, which brings back almost everyone who was involved in the 2020 show, has taken on a new life and a deeper and broader meaning not only in how we see the content, but also in how remounting it represents a homecoming for many artists who entrusted us with their work. I'm so thrilled that Kristin, who previously directed our hit production of COMPANY at MWT, has returned to pick up where she left off with THE WILD PARTY. She brings such great care, integrity and purpose to staging this very complex, groundbreaking production."

THE WILD PARTY is directed by Kristin Towers-Rowles (she/her); Musical Director is Daniel Koh (he/him); Choreographer is Michael Marchak (he/him); Emily Ellis (she/her) is Stage Manager. Emilia Ray (she/her) is Intimacy Director; and Amanda Newman (she/they) is Fight Choreographer. Spencer Johnson (he/him) & Regina Niles (she/her) are Producers.

THE WILD PARTY cast: Serenity Robb (she/her) as Queenie, Deonte Allen (he/him) as Mr. Black, Hamilton Davis (he/him) as Burrs, Kaitlin Doughty (she/her) as Kate, Emily Sotelo (she/her) as Madelaine True, Mirai (she/her) as Mae, Spencer Johnson (he/him) as Eddie, Eric Eberle (he/him) as Max, Steve Weber (he/him) as Sam, Holly Weber (she/her) as Dolores, Kelsey Weinstein (she/they) as Nadine, Jonathon Saia (he/him) as Oscar, Sam Gianfala (he/they) as Phil, and Krystal Jasmin Combs (she/her) as Jackie. THE WILD PARTY understudies have a guaranteed weekend of performances: Krystal Jasmin Combs (she/her) as Queenie, Javon Ford (he/him) as Mr. Black, Iah Bearden-Vrai (he/him) as Burrs and Katelyn Coon (she/her) as Kate. THE WILD PARTY ensemble: Roland Vasquez (he/him), Katelyn Coon (she/her), Gianna Pira (she/her) as Female Swing, Anna Gagliardo (she/her) as Female Swing, and Eadric Einbinder (he/they) as Male Swing. Dance Captain is Krystal Jasmin Combs (she/her).

THE WILD PARTY production team: Yelena Babinskaya (she/her) Set Designer; Orlando De La Paz ( ) Scenic Artist; Michael Mullen ( ) Costume Designer; Jon Sparks (he/him) and Alejandro Bermudez ( ) Hair/Wigs; Derek Jones (he/him) Lighting Design; Mario Espionoza (he/him) Assistant Lighting Designer; Ryan Rowles (he/him) Sound Design; Cody Holmes (he/him) Sound Board Operation; Carson Schutze ( ) Mixing Board Operator & Assistant Musical Director; Mia Staraci (she/her) Props Master; Bill Wildlay (he/him) Technical Director, Ethan Kuwata (he/him) ASM and Run Crew, Donato Karingal (he/him) Master Electrician; Michael Back (he/him) Electrician.

THE WILD PARTY by Andrew Lippa is presented by Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, 90405 from Friday, September 16 through Sunday, October 9, 2022. Preview performance is Friday, September 16. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Ticket prices are Student/Military: $23, Senior: $26, Regular: $30. Understudy performances: September 30, 2022, October 1, 2022, October 2, 2022. Talkback dates tentatively scheduled for September 25, 2022 and October 7, 2022. Group rates are available - call the box office for details.

Not recommended for children. Content alert: contains acts of sexual abuse, violence, and strobe lighting.

Visit www.morgan-wixson.org or call (310) 828-7519. Easy, free parking is available a block west of the theater, with many excellent restaurants within walking distance.

To ensure that our members, actors, creative teams, volunteers, and audiences have the best and safest experience possible when attending the Morgan-Wixson, and to protect the health of all those who enter our doors, we require that all patrons wear masks while indoors. Masks with air valves and gaiter masks will not be accepted. Requests for ADA/medical accommodations must be made prior to ticket purchase. Please see our website for the official Covid-19 policy.

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