Film star Toni Collette, hot from her role as the shaken
mother in the feature film, "The Sixth Sense," and an audience favorite
for 1994's "Muriel's Wedding," will play the seductive Queenie in Michael
John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe's musical retelling of The Wild Party,
opening April 6, 2000, at the Virginia Theatre. It will be Collette's
New York stage debut.
The casting was announced Oct. 14. Also confirmed to sing and play
characters based on Joseph Moncure March's scandalous 1928 poem are
the previously-mentioned Mandy Patinkin (as Burrs, Queenie's brutal
love interest) and Eartha Kitt (as Dolores). Vanessa Williams had been
mentioned earlier, but she had other commitments and will not be part
of the world premiere musical, which begins previews in March 2000.
Kitt will play Dolores, a character March describes as weeping and
wailing (and having scarlet nails) in his verse tale of a boozy Jazz
Age party. It will be Kitt's first major appearance on Broadway since
1978, when she starred in Timbuktu! (and was nominated for a Best Actress
Tony Award). Her first splash on a New York stage came in New Faces
of 1952 (although she had previously danced in the revue, Blue Holiday).
She memorably played Catwoman on the 1960s TV series, "Batman," and
has released a number of recordings, including "Back in Business" and
"Eartha Kitt, Greatest Hits." One of her signature songs, from New Faces,
is "Monotonous." She is known around the world for her purring, ravenous
vocal technique.
Patinkin, who'll play the brutal vaudevillian, Burrs, is the vocal
powerhouse who played Che in Evita on Broadway and originated the roles
of George in Sunday in the Park With George and Uncle Archie in The
Secret Garden. He has performed frequently at The Public Theater and
has a number of recordings on store shelves ("Experiment," "Dress Casual,"
among them). Last season he sang Yiddish favorites in the Broadway concert,
Mamaloshen. He is currently seen as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on CBS' Chicago
Hope.
Additional casting for The Wild Party has not been announced.
The Australian native Collette is remembered by moviegoers for the
title role in "Muriel's Wedding," in which she played a chunky outsider
(and ABBA fan) who stumbles into an arranged marriage with a gorgeous
sports figure.
She earned a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination for the 1994 film
role. She also appeared in "Velvet Goldmine," "Emma" and "The Boys."
She is currently shooting "Shaft."
Collette has appeared on stage with the Velvoir Street Theater and
the Sydney Theater Company.
