The message of the new revival of the beloved Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein musical comes in loud, proud and clear; love is love is love is love. Period. Full stop. The Sam Pinkleton directed production pares down the original to bring a more intimate yet simultaneously big, bold and bawdy story to today’s audience. In tumultuous times, a show like this reminds us of our common humanity and capacity for joy and love, even when it’s hard.
The 1983 original Broadway run featured a large, Rockettes-like troupe of Cagelles where the talk of the town was how impossible it was to distinguish which were female and which were male, eliciting big laughs when they switched octaves mid-song. Pinkleton’s reimagining sets the action square in the middle of a sparkly, glittering Ru Paul’s Drag Race sensibility for today’s audience. While I did miss the shock and awe of the original Cagelles and the big sound that came with it, these Cagelles and this show deliver a tremendous amount of sass and heart.
The show centers around a gay drag club owner in St. Tropez, Georges (Cheyenne Jackson), and his longtime love, Albin (Kevin Cahoon), who is the club’s headliner, Zaza. Their only son, Jean-Michel (Ryan J. Haddad), drops the bomb that not only is he getting married to someone they have yet to meet, but his soon to be father-in-law is none other than Edouard Dindon, a religious conservative politician who has vowed to go after the gay clubs in St. Tropez. The fiancé, Anne, and her parents are coming over for dinner and Jean-Michel is requesting that Georges pretend to be straight and married to his biological mother and that Albin not come at all. Hilarity ensues along with some genuinely poignant moments that give this show so much heart. For all of the glitzy, exuberant fun, it’s also an old fashioned musical that is a thoroughly entertaining feel-good show for the holidays.
Jackson is reason enough to see this “La Cage” as he grounds the show with his tender and beautiful performance. His Georges is at once sexy, vulnerable and imbued with a comforting, fatherly wisdom all wrapped in a gorgeous package that is an absolute delight to watch. He brings such genuine warmth and nostalgia to his love song to Albin, “Song in the Sand” and breaks every parent’s heart in “Look Over There.” His charisma permeates the show and he has terrific chemistry with Cahoon, who makes the absolute most of every comedic moment. The two of them are a darling, opposites attract couple that give the audience a sweet glimpse at how they fell in love and how they stay together. We definitely get the sense they are each other’s person through thick and thin.
Haddad gives an earnest performance, even giving shades of callousness as Jean-Michel, which actually makes a pivotal scene all the more touching. He and Shannon Purser as Anne, make an unexpected and adorable couple while Michael McDonald and Nicole Parker are standouts as the Dindons. They also double as a French couple that become audience favorites from the top of the show. McDonald is especially hilarious.
Two other standout performances come from Playhouse favorite, George Salazar (Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors), as Jacob the maid/butler, getting laughs on literally every line he has, and Shea Diamond as the very dramatic club owner, Jacqueline. And El Beh is eager and full of purpose as the smitten stage manager, Francis.
The fabulous Cagelles have some drag performers among them and give sparkling, utmost, glittering to the max performances. They are Kay Bebe Queue, Cody Brunelle-Potter, Salina EsTitties, Rhoyle Ivy King, Ellen Soroya Nikbakht, Suni Jade Reid and Paul Vogt.
The dynamite orchestra is directed by Darryl Archibald while the David Zinn set and David Reynoso costumes bring the St. Tropez club scene to pink and bubbly, effervescent life.
It’s a helluva good time!
“La Cage Aux Folles” runs through December 15 at Pasadena Playhouse. Tickets and Membership information for La Cage aux Folles are available at pasadenaplayhouse.org, by phone at 626-356-7529, and at the box office at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101.
