Big mistakes crash Alpha Psi's 'Party'

By Paul Szaniawski

Amid rumors of raciness, risqué scenes and a possible X-rated midnight showing, Wild Party was meant to give audiences an exciting, crazy night they would not soon forget. However, in spite of some strong efforts from Alpha Psi Omega, the musical falters on that promise. Still, the broad shoulders of a few “wild individuals” seem to be enough to carry the rest of the party and at times provide electricity and entertainment.

The musical takes place in the 1920s, in an apartment owned by a dysfunctional couple, Queenie (junior Julianne Chester) and Burrs (junior Danny Lane). After a fight one morning, and Burrs’ forced seduction of his girl afterwards, Queenie announces revenge will be hers in an aside to the audience. Her vehicle of justice is a party at the couple’s apartment. After the arrival of some interesting guests, the plot takes a few turns for the worse.

Wild Party’s partial nudity and simulated sexual scenes do not interfere or distract from the musical most of the time. The risqué actions do not play a big part in the plot’s development. The hype of such scenes may attract audiences, but the rude acts are not one of the show’s strengths.

One positive of Wild Party is the performance by Lane, whose lead role as Burrs is very entertaining. He is easily the brightest star in the entire cast. The honor of calling someone “the total package” is thrown around quite a bit, but in Lane’s portrayal of Burrs the title fits perfectly. The character is developed very well and also adds a good deal of comedy to the musical. Lane also succeeds in one area the other performers do not. Throughout Wild Party, the orchestra’s music is much too loud and drowns out nearly every singer. Lane does his best to overcome this and succeeds — especially in his final solo singing performance, “Let Me Drown.”

Unfortunately, the overwhelming music is just too much for Wild Party’s starlet, Chester (Queenie). A student at Westminster Choir College, Chester makes her Alpha Psi Omega debut and seemed to be the perfect choice for the character of Queenie. At times she sings beautifully but is inconsistent. The loud orchestra often drowns out her voice. Otherwise, Chester does an excellent job captivating the audience. The Westminster student gives a solid performance but is definitely outshone by her fellow star, Lane.

Another standout of Wild Party is the musical’s entire cast of supporting actors. One performance in particular comes to mind: the supporting role of Madeleine True, played by senior Gina Maria Cicchino. Her solo, “An Old-Fashioned Love Story” was show-stopping and made for one of the high points of the musical. Madeleine True gives an entertaining edge and is easily one of best-portrayed characters in Wild Party.

Throughout a few littered errors, poor performances of the background actors, a minor breakage of the set during a dialogue and the much-too-loud music, the positives of Wild Party somehow still shine through.

If you come to the theater to see great individual performances and if a predictable plot isn’t an issue, then Wild Party might just be for you. The partial nudity and other risky business throughout the show are not too offensive, including a party in Burrs’ pants in one scene. However, that is the only “wild” party you will experience.