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The Wild Party by Torrey Pines Players 
Their wild days of youth soon settled down after Queenie and
Burrs married. A few years later, both of them restless for some of their more
exciting bygone days, they agree to host “a wild party” at their home. But will
it save their marriage or destroy it? When Kate, who has long sought to steal
Burrs away, brings along a stranger named Black whom she feels certain Queenie
will go crazy for, the situation seems ripe for a wildly bad ending to the
party.
Andrew Lippa wrote the book, lyrics, and music, with his strongest suit being the latter as he fills the production with a great mix of jazzy, bluesy, steamy numbers written to sound good and give the actors a chance to let it all hang out – for which the cast at Torrey Pines delivers! Erika Jermasek shines as the highly sensual Queenie who gets the party going when she leads the dynamic cast in knocking off some shingles during the sizzling Raise the Roof. Ben Halstead stars as Burrs, the former vaudeville clown, who is not clowning around when he begins to grow jealous as Queenie pays far too much attention to Black, leading to their tense, dramatic confrontation. Dan Tracer lends his smooth vocals to the quiet but determined Black, especially with his I’ll Be Here number. And phenomenal singer Alisha Zalkin completes the last side of the dangerous love rectangle as Kate who purposely creates the tension by bringing Black to the party, who delivers an extraordinary performance as the conniving bad girl, and who completely blows our socks off with The Life of the Party – an electric and demanding song that allows Alisha to truly display her abilities. The four of them square off in the spellbinding quartet Poor Child. But for a really wild party you have to invite a gaggle of guests who can liven things up. There’s the amusing Madelaine True (Anna Esko) who is ready to flirt with anyone and everyone as she tries to fulfill An Old-Fashioned Love Story. There’s the hilarious d’Armano brothers (Kyle Farmer and Scott Sayre) who have composed an outrageous new musical called A Wild, Wild Party (based on stories from the Bible). There’s the cute couple, Eddie and Mae (Todd Huguenor and Sonya Bender), who are Two of a Kind in a party where those kinds of tender feelings seem rare. And then there’s the crack ensemble dancing, singing, and mingling throughout in a way that honestly feels like you are in the midst of a lively all-nighter – a sensation heightened by the romantic tension that fills the room from the beginning to end, a variety of sexy costumes designed by Danielle Sch-Tabachnick, Elana Kobernick, and Vanessa Keipert, fine choreography by Deep Datta, Gia Baptistta, and Alisha Zalkin, Marinee Payne’s well-paced direction, and the always-driving music played by the school’s slick and talented band that sits like the party’s live band just behind the ever-busy bar.Performed through May 8, 2004.
~ Cast ~
Queenie: Erika Jermasek Burrs: Ben Halstead Black: Dan Tracer Kate: Alisha Zalkin Phil d'Armano: Kyle Farmer Oscar d'Armano: Scott Sayre Eddie: Todd Huguenor Mae: Sonya Bender Nadine: Kim Kriegar Madelaine True: Anna Esko Jackie: Nick Beasley Sam: Joaquin Leon-Laddon Max: Deep Datta Deloras: Gia Battista Kegs: Michael Wang Ensemble: Jason Roberts Alex Remo Florence Tsang Andrew Talbot Linda Permenter Michelle Montejano Christine Manuccia Chelsea Stone Director: Marinee Payne Student Director: Jackie Cuccaro Musical Director: Willy Chu Choreography: Deep Datta, Gia Baptistta, and Alisha Zalkin Technical Director: Anton Ivanov Stage Managers: Rory Cohen, Lexi Brenner Scenic Design: Chase Burton Lighting Design: Michael Rooney Costume Design: Danielle Sch-Tabachnick, Elana Kobernick, Vanessa Keipert Sound Design: Cail Young |