The Wild Party (Schoenberg Hall; 550 seats; $20 top) UCLA Music Theater Workshop presentation of a musical in two acts, book, words and music by Andrew Lippa. Directed by John Hall. Queenie - Anne Warren Burrs - Andrew Pandaleon Kate - Monica Quintanilla Black - Peter Musante Madelaine True - Brittany Longdon Eddie - Michael Aspinwall Mae - Erika Whalen Jackie - J. Sterling Sulieman Phil - Brett Ryback Oscar - Taylor Sternberg Dolores - Tracy Rohrer Max - Ryan Scott Oliver Sam - Ben Wright Rose - Kelsey Jessup Nadine - Sarah Girard Reno - Geoffrey Kidwell Kegs - Kevin Carey Spike - Chris Fore Peggy - Michel Patrician Ellie - Amelia Nelson Lola - Mia Sable Tootsie - Lindsay Gray _____ By JOEL HIRSCHHORN _____ Based on a 1928 poem by New Yorker editor John Moncure March, Andrew Lippa's dark musical about a wild party that spins fatally out of control could have wallowed in sordid sensationalism. Director John Hall avoids an exploitative approach, downplaying ugliness and concentrating on disillusionment and desperation. First presented at Off Broadway's Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000, Lippa's book, words and music convey so absorbing a vision of hedonistic hell that they override shallow plot construction and lyrics that veer dizzily between clever and cliched. His tonally eclectic score vibrates with passion and memorable melodic hooks, and this Schoenberg Hall world premiere is performed by uniformly dynamic singers and dancers. Lippa's "Wild Party" was initially overshadowed when another musical version of March's poem by Michael John LaChiusa and George Wolfe opened on Broadway the same year, and the impact of both productions was blunted by comparisons. Standing free of its rival, Lippa's creation emerges as a show with strong touring possibilities for adult audiences. Show's pivotal figure is Queenie (Anne Warren), a glamorous showgirl who wants to punish her abusive lover Burrs (Andrew Pandaleon) by throwing a party and making him jealous. She assembles a sexually adventurous group of guests, including hooker Kate (Monica Quintanilla) and Black (Peter Musante), Kate's current boyfriend. What Queenie doesn't count on is her genuine feeling for Black, which enrages Burrs and leads to his disintegration. The grimly escalating "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" mood is compelling, although we never feel an obsessive former connection between Queenie and Burrs. Her bond with Peter Musante's Black is much more potent. Lippa's score has a number of high spots, notably the aptly named "Let's Raise the Roof" and "The Juggernaut," both heightened by Bill Szobody's organically conceived choreography. There are moments when the pacing, in its hyped-up anxiety to please, seems frantic, but the composer has written two affecting ballads, Black's "Poor Child" and "I'll Be Here." "An Old Fashioned Love Story," a lesbian lament and calculated crowd-pleaser, injects welcome humor as interpreted by lusty Brittany Longdon, and Monica Quintanillo's Kate brings down the house with "The Life of the Party." Wisely eliminating seedy scenes -- one with onstage toilet -- from the New York production, director Hall stages a booze-soaked, drug-riddled 1920s atmosphere, an imaginatively stylized orgy and a heart-pumping fight between Burrs and pugilist Eddie (Michael Aspinwall). These events (heightened by Eileen Cooley's huge black shadows against a mauve wall) forcefully precipitate the final disaster, an event that misses its full potential when Queenie sings a ballad meant to sum up the show's philosophy, "How Did It Come To This?" but ends the story on a muted, anti-climactic note. Dressed in Yoli Bennett's elegant white gown, Anne Warren's Queenie fully justifies the barrage of male attention, and Peter Musante steals scenes with his empathetic portrayal and golden voice. Andrew Pandaleon contributes outstanding vocals, although he lacks a violent, vicious core suggested by Lippa's lyrics. Ben Makino's exceptional 13-piece orchestra features riveting trumpet solos by Jens Lindemann, and Robert Deman's set, with art deco furnishings and theater posters, is the ideal background for thrillseekers going off the rails. Sets, Robert Deman; costumes, Yoli Bennett; lighting, Eileen Cooley; sound, Jeff Richman, Umberto Belfiore; music director, Ben Makino; choreography, Bill Szobody. Reviewed Feb. 14, 2003; closed Feb. 16. Running time: 2 HOURS, 10 MIN.