To live in light: Historical conversations in Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party

Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party is notable for any number of reasons, particularly given that it was one of two adaptations of the John Moncure March poem premiering in New York City during the 1999–2000 season, the other being Andrew Lippa’s adaptation at Manhattan Theatre Club. LaChiusa’s adaptation is also notable for its racialized narrative, given that the central role of Queenie was recast, replacing an actress of colour – singer-actress Vanessa Williams – with a white actress, Oscar nominee Toni Collette. In this article, the implications of this casting change are explored, particularly the ways in which the change from an actress of colour to a white actress forced the musical into a historical conversation with the racialized conventions of vaudeville performance.