A major new London production of the multi Tony-nominated Broadway musical The Wild Party is to open at EartH Hackney, a new 680-capacity venue in Dalston.
EartH, originally built in the 1930s as a cinema, has undergone two years of restoration and now boasts jaw-dropping original Art Deco features and a state-of-the-art sound system.
The Wild Party, with Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe, based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March, directed by Dan Herd, will preview from Monday 12 August and run to Saturday 7 September.
Manhattan decadence provides the backdrop for this tough musical fable. Queenie, a vaudeville chorine, hosts the blow-out of the title with her vicious lover. The guests are a vivid collection of the unruly and the undone. The jazz and gin-soaked party rages to a mounting sense of threat as artifice and illusion are stripped away. When midnight debauchery leads to tragedy at dawn, the high-flying characters land with a sobering thud, reminding us that no party lasts forever.
Director Dan Herd said: “LaChiusa and Wolfe’s THE WILD PARTY is a bold explosion of a musical that transports us into the intoxicating dark side of the Jazz Age. It’s a thrilling journey through a booze-fueled night with characters, score, and text that are utterly exhilarating. Our production aims to match the creators’ daring writing; here, the grotesque and iconic guests at this party possess our cast, transforming them into the puppets of ghosts from an untamed past, creating a palpable sense of unpredictability. This summer in Hackney, we’re crafting a unique theatrical event: shadows will dance across the faded grandeur of our venue, the audience will become part of an immersive ghost story, and our brilliant creative team and top-tier cast will revive this landmark musical with exuberance and true wildness.”
Cast:
Laura Baldwin (Queenie). Laura’s West End musicals include playing Adele in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Dawn in Waitress (Whatsonstage nominee) and Cynthia Weil in Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. She also starred as Janey in Eugenius! and Story Sandra in Big Fish (both at The Other Palace).
Simon Anthony (Burrs). He was in the original cast of Guys and Dolls at the The Bridge Theatre. His West End credits include: Bonnie & Clyde, The Wedding Singer and Fame, and Crazy For You at Chichester Festival Theatre.
Bobbie Little (Kate) was Emily in The Witches (National Theatre), Connie in Standing at the Sky’s Edge, (Sheffield Crucible, National Theatre), Heather Duke in Heathers: The Musical (Theatre Royal
Haymarket).
Billy Cullum (Black) was in A Christmas Carol (Old Vic), Jesus Christ Superstar and Little Shop of Horrors (both Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and played Mark Cohen in the 20th anniversary tour of RENT (The Other Palace/UK tour).
Chumisa Dornford-May (Dolores). Her West End credits include playing the Alternate Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera, u/s Jenny in Aspects of Love, Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (London Palladium) and Mistress/ u/s Eva Perón in Evita at Curve, Leicester.
George Crawford (Jackie) was Alternate Jack Kelly in Newsies (Troubadour, Wembley).
Jade Kennedy (Eddie) recently played Joan in Fun Home (Gate Theatre, Dublin) and played Frida Kahlo, Sacagawea & Marie Curie in the original cast of Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World (UK tour).
Kirsty Foreman (Mae) is a recent graduate of Mountview making their professional debut
Christian Maynard (Phil) recently starred as Kid Pop in Rehab: The Musical at Neon194, and previously played Chris in Miss Saigon at Sheffield Crucible.
Samantha Bingley (Sally) was Madame/‘Wardrobe’ in Beauty & the Beast (London Palladium/UK tour) and Rose of Sharon in To Wong Foo (Hope Mill).
Kyle Richardson (Oscar) recently played Simba in The Lion King (Lyceum). His other major roles include Tony in West Side Story, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera.
Maddison Bulleyment (Nadine) was recently in 42 Balloons (Lowry), Witch Letitia in The Witches (National Theatre), Carolyn in The Bridges of Madison County (Menier Chocolate Factory), Anne Boleyn in SIX (UK tour).
Lillie-Pearl Wildman (Madelaine) currently in Standing at the Sky’s Edge (Gillian Lynne), her other West End credits include Sunset Boulevard (Savoy), Cabaret (Kit Kat Klub at Playhouse) and Newsies (Troubadour, Wembley).
Ronan Quiniou (Gold) played Toto in The Wizard of Oz and Beralde in Moliere’s ‘Le Malade Imaginaire’ (European Tour).
Ryan Wolpert (Goldberg) is a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music making their professional debut.
Jennifer Louise Jones (Swing and Dance Captain) was Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast (London
Palladium and UK tour), Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Frinton Summer Theatre) and Alternate Tracy Lord in High Society (The Mill at Sonning).
Amber Sylvia Edwards (Swing) was in Tina The Musical, Mercy Lewis in The Good John Proctor (Jermyn Street Theatre), a Witch in Macbeth (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Creative team:
Director: Dan Herd
Choreographer: Alexzandra Sarmiento
Set and Costume Designer: Sophia Pardon
Lighting Designer: Adam King
Sound Designer: Russell Ditchfield
Musical Supervisor Ben Goddard-Young
Production Manager: Ian Moore for the Production Family
Casting Director: Richard Johnston for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting
Produced by DeeHampton Productions Ltd
The Wild Party premiered on Broadway in 2000 starring Toni Collette, Eartha Kitt, Marc Kudisch, Norm Lewis, Sally Murphy, Mandy Patinkin and Tonya Pinkins, and was nominated for the Best
Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Musical Score Tony Awards.
