The Wild Party revival to open at new London venue

A major new London production of Michael John LaChiusa’s 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.

Those appearing on the cast are:

• Laura Baldwin plays Queenie
• Simon Anthony plays Burrs
• Bobbie Little plays Kate
• Billy Cullum plays Black
• Chumisa Dornford-May plays Dolores
• George Crawford plays Jackie
• Jade Kennedy plays Eddie
• Kirsty Foreman plays Mae
• Christian Maynard plays Phil
• Samantha Bingley plays Sally
• Kyle Richardson plays Oscar
• Maddison Bulleyment plays Nadine
• Lillie-Pearl Wildman plays Madelaine
• Ronan Quiniou plays Gold
• Ryan Wolpert plays Goldberg
• Jennifer Louise Jones is Swing and Dance Captain
• Amber Sylvia Edwards is Swing

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.”

The production will have choreography by Alexzandra Sarmient, set and costume design by Sophia Pardon, lighting design by Adam King, sound design by Russell Ditchfield, musical supervision by Ben Goddard-Young, production management by Ian Moore for the Production Family, casting by Richard Johnston for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting and producer DeeHampton Productions Ltd.