The Variety Show began to grow organically. People told their friends, and those friends told their friends. Soon, we had returning audiences, and we started holding raffles and dance-offs. Since WPVH was a late-night fare, it was attracting other performers who would come hang out after their shows were over. The after parties were epic and would rival the shows themselves as performers rose to the occasion. The Prop Thtr was kind enough to let us party at the space, and we saw many a sun rise.
Occasionally, someone would be daring enough to celebrate their birthday with us, and sometimes, we would even get the occasional bachelor party. Those shows would end up being a bit extra raunchy and unpredictable. It’s how The Wild Party Variety Hour ended up being called “the dirtiest fun to be had on a Chicago stage.” Sometimes, the performers would experiment with brand new material, and the bits would have unpredictable endings. We like to think that we fostered an environment where their creativity was encouraged to expand and prosper. Occasionally, Silent Marvin’s “APLAWZ” sign would flip over to a question mark that would silently whisper “What the f*ck did I just watch?”
But more often than not, the performer would take what they learned from their Wild Party performance and use it on other stages in a more refined manner. Our variety show was the breeding ground for unapologetic creativity.
Watching some of this content would most likely get a theatre company canceled these days. But back before everything turned sterile and PC, we let the uncouth make us belly laugh.
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