Displaying items by tag: La cage aux Folles

I remember the first time I saw The Birdcage starting Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. My mother was judged for "exposing" me to such a "mature story." But today it is still one of my favorite films, as is the original play it's based off of "La Cage aux Folles." Knowing the storyline I jumped at the opportunity to see this and wish I brought more people with me to experience this timeless classic.

La Cage aux Folles tells the story of Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction. Things are going swimmingly for the pair until Georges' son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancée's ultra-conservative parents to meet them.

From the moment you walk into the theater and are greeted by the actors in drag, flanking a giant pink cage, you are immersed in La Cage. The marquee sign, cafe tables, and tranquil french music transports you to St. Tropez as George welcomes you to La Cage aux Folles. The play opens with impressive drag numbers as though you are an audience member of La Cage. It's part play, part drag show, all entertaining. Zaza (aka Albin), played by Ginger Minj, star of RuPaul's Drag Race, captivates every time she is on stage. She engages the love audience into her comedy bits, and leaves them speechless when she sings 'I am what I am." The relationship between her and Georges, played by Jason Richards, was captivating, and you were truly rooting for this couple as they had to navigate a tricky situation.

There is something timeless about La Cage. It retains the same devastating undertones of having to change yourself in order to appease some people. But it also challenges these notions in a farcical, yet realistic way depicted in the film of the same name. Opening on Broadway in 1983 La Cage broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship. The original production ran for more than four years and won six Tony Awards and after seeing this play for myself the awards are completely justified. Unlike the film the play immerses you into La Cage from start to finish, making the near 3 hour run time seem too short. 

From seeing The Birdcage to now seeing La Cage aux Folles on stage, I cannot imagine a better love story. Now we know this is not a play for everyone, but I would challenge those who might be averse to seeing this play to see it. Georges and Albin are deeply in love, as evident in songs such as “Song on the Sand,” and even their witty married quips back and forth. The challenge they face in the play,while farcical, are representative of the challenges same sex couples face every day, hiding the real you to make others more comfortable. It’s still a challenge faced today despite progress. Like life itself, La Cage will make you laugh, it will make you cry, possibly bring you into the stand up act if wearing the wrong outfit, and it will also continue to stand strong as an unabashedly honest portrayal of love celebrating who we are.

La Cage is the exact remedy we need for these crazy times and a welcome reprieve from post-pa democ art blocks. So grab your boa and a Zazatini in the lobby, and escape to St. Tropez. La Cage aux Folles runs through April 3rd at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie, get your tickets tout suite!

Get ready for men dressed lavishly in drag, big laughs and plenty of high-flying dance action. Kicking off their 40^th season in fabulous fashion, Marriott Theatre presents the smash hit musical La Cage aux Folles, a comedy that can be as touching as it is glamorous.

In this musical that debuted on Broadway in 1983, longtime life partners Georges and Albin run the glitzy St. Tropez nightclub where dazzling all male revues are regularly performed. Georges is the club’s master of ceremonies while his “wife” Albin is the star performer “Zaza”. But when Georges’ son Jean-Michel surprisingly announces that he plans to marry the daughter of an ultra-conservative politician bent on shutting down the so-called “filth” in his district, their lives take a hectic turn – and the chaos begins. In Jean-Michel’s efforts to impress his fiancé’s visiting parents, he requests for Albin to make himself scarce and proceeds to “un-gay” his father’s home in order to also appear conservative. Naturally, this is upsetting and hurtful to Albin though a reluctant Georges insists it is just for one night and that it will be something they can laugh over for years to come. However, once Jean-Michel’s fiancé arrives with her parents nothing goes as planned and the pandemonium really begins.     

Throughout this very funny theatre-in-the-round production we encounter numerous song and dance numbers superbly choreographed by Melissa Zaremba, most notably its big opener “We Are What We Are” where the audience gets blitzed with drag dancers pulling off a series of colorful costume changes. We meet a variety of characters including a take charge whip-wielding diva and can only be impressed with the St. Tropez dancers’ precision and flexibility. However, while we enjoy stunning costumes, overdone makeup and overly exaggerated female characteristics, at times we wonder if women are celebrated or parodied.

David Hess as Georges and Gene Weygandt as Albin truly light up the stage. The chemistry between the two is dynamic and projects a real sense of love and admiration for one another. Their closeness can easily be envied by so many, displaying a sincerity that is truthfully touching, uplifting and lasting. Hess and Weygandt stalwartly captain the helm of this humorous but moving story that tells us to never be ashamed of who we are.     

Brian Bohr puts out an adequate performance as Jean-Michel but the show’s real support comes from Joseph Anthony Byrd who is charming as Jacob, the couple’s butler who wants to be recognized as the maid and also desires a spot in La Cage. Always a pleasure to see Larry Adams perform, the Chicago acting veteran is entertaining as ever in this time a limited role as waiter M. Renaud.

La Cage aux Folles is a well-directed show that is as fun yet tender and should not be missed. La Cage is being performed at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through March 22^nd. For tickets and/or more information visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.