Cheap Seats The Wild Party throws down on a bathtub full of gin and an orgy

Welcome to Cheap Seats, where every Thursday we’ll talk to folks behind the scenes of the stage events opening around town in order to give you a flavor of the productions that won’t be found in any of the promo materials.

The Wild Party, Bartell Theatre, June 3-5

Promo pull quote: “In a relationship marked by vicious behavior and recklessness, Queenie and Burrs decide to throw a party to end all parties. As the guests arrive, we meet an assortment of people living on the edge.”

What it’s really about: Set in New York in the 1920s, The Wild Party gives viewers a look at the darker side of the flapper era, but in the stockings of a chipper Broadway stage show that includes multiple flashy musical and dance numbers. The Wild Party takes place at one roaring shindig, which ends in disaster after characters confront issues of sexuality, love, and breaking the law. “You are going to see things onstage that you are not used to seeing in a musical, and they kind of go by as no big deal,” says Meghan Randolph, founder of Music Theatre Of Madison, who also plays Kate in the play. “But it’s a lot of fun; it’s a love triangle, it’s scandal, it’s gossip, and it’s set in a cool time period. Everyone can come and learn something, as long as they’re not easily offended.”

Fun fact: The Wild Party was originally an epic, book-length poem written by Joseph Moncure March, which was banned in 1928 upon its publication for being too risqué. (William Burroughs often called it the book that made him want to write.) When it was reprinted in 1994, it influenced two separate playwrights (Michael John LaChiusa and Andrew Lippa) to adapt it into musicals in 2000.

Music Theatre Of Madison chose the Lippa version, largely due to subject matter and concerns over casting: “The Michael John LaChiusa is difficult to cast, because that version goes into the racial social circles integrating, and we were concerned we couldn’t tell that story because there’s not a lot of black actors in Madison, unfortunately,” Randolph says. “But we chose the Lippa version mainly because it is like The Da Vinci Code, while the [LaChiusa version] is like a work of literature you’d study in English class. The Lippa version is just more accessible.”

Why you should go: If the promise of a musical exploring the depths of the grimy side of the Roaring Twenties isn’t enough, know this: A bathtub full of illegal gin, a murder, and a musical number set during an orgy figure prominently. “It was tough getting over the awkwardness of the orgy, and then making that work while singing and doing things,” Randolph says. Also, dressing like an extra from Public Enemies (hopefully you saved your costumes, Madison) will get you into the show at a discounted price. “If you’ve obviously made the effort to look like you’re from the ’20s, we’ll give you a $10 ticket,” Randolph says.