THE WILD PARTY Gets Amateur Premiere In London

Rehearsals are drawing to a close, the props have been found, the last stitches sewn in the costumes, and the set is painted (nearly!). SEDOS, London's century-old premier amateur theatre group (originally founded as the Stockbrokers' own in-house Drama Society), is proud to present its latest production, The Wild Party by Michael John LaChiusa, a musical in one act.

The cast of 21 (supported by a 30-strong crew) are still standing (and still employed!) despite the hours of rehearsals they have put in. Not only have they had just two months to prepare, they have also had to learn a slightly different version for the musical's ‘family-friendly' matinee performances...

The show is running from Wednesday 27 May until Saturday 6 June 2009 at The Bridewell Theatre, Bride Lane, off Fleet Street, with a special gala performance on Saturday 30 May (tickets £20). All other tickets are priced at £12.50 for concessions and £15 for adults.

For the Friday and Saturday night performances, there will be an open-mic cabaret night, The Cat's Meow, in the theatre bar for ticket holders to test their own vocal chords, should they wish! The musical pushes the boundaries of sexual and social acceptability, inviting its audience to gorge themselves in a feast of orgies, cocaine and moral destitution; it has never before been performed in the West End - are you ready?

The show itself is set in New York, 1928, and features Queenie and Burrs, destructive lovers and failed vaudeville performers; one Sunday the tedium becomes so unbearable they decide to throw a wild party. A host of guests arrive including a cocaine-sniffing playboy, an incestuous brother act, a lesbian actress with her drug addict girlfriend, and Queenie's conniving rival, Kate; with the music, drugs and alcohol flowing, the revellers' inhibitions quickly fall away and their most desperate desires emerge. What started as a whim to lift a dreary Sunday descends into a frenzied orgy. A tender romance blossoms amid the chaos, but not everyone is happy and someone will be dead before the night is over.