Review: La Cages Aux Folles

Hamilton (l) and Sieber (photo credit: Paul Kohlnik)

La Cage So-So
La Cage Aux Folles is entertaining, if inconsistent
by Stuart Munro

At the end of Act I, when Christopher Sieber as Zaza (Albin) ended his outstanding interpretation of “I Am What I Am,” the audience burst into applause in a way I haven’t heard in a long time, more than a few folks had jumped to their feet, and I had goosebumps up and down my legs. It was a sublime and utterly captivating moment. If only the rest of the act had been of similar calibre.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot about the National Tour of La Cage Aux Folles, currently at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, to enjoy. But too often it feels thin and uninspired, as if everyone is simply going through the motions. Considering the tour is a year old this is not entirely surprising, but it is a bit disappointing.

Christopher Sieber as Albin is easily the highlight of this production.

La Cage is the story of Georges, owner of the eponymous French nightclub, and his partner Albin, the club’s leading star. Georges’s son, Jean-Michel, arrives to announce he’s getting married, but that his future in-laws (who are coming to dinner) are extremely conservative. He asks that Albin (who helped raise Jean-Michel) be relocated for the event. The story is witty and touching, no doubt aided by Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-winning book and Jerry Herman’s popular (and Tony-winning) score.

Christopher Sieber as Albin is easily the highlight of this production. He is not only a comic master, but he can also mine the emotional depths of the character. His heartbreak upon learning he’s not wanted at dinner is palpable and drives his performance of “I Am What I Am.” As Georges, George Hamilton looks suave and debonair, but his charm never makes it past the proscenium. His thin voice and less than nimble dance skills make it clear he is, perhaps, too old to be playing the part. He nevertheless shares more than a few tender moments with Mr. Sieber.

In much the same way, Michael Lowney as Jean-Michel (Georges’s visiting son) looks and sounds beautiful, and his dancing clearly shows years of hard work. But his presentation of the character is a bit one note from start to finish, and I wasn’t surprised to read that he’d been in the chorus of the show on Broadway while understudying the part. Likewise, the six “Cagelles” are stunning to watch, especially during the Act I showstopper “La Cage Aux Folles.” Yet the minute they stop dancing, they may as well not be on stage. It was bizarre to watch, but the whole first act felt somehow thin and uninspired, save for those precious moments when Christopher Sieber is on stage.

Act II fares much better, and the comedy of Fierstein’s book really gets a chance to shine. As the conservative parents, Bernard Burak Sheredy and Cheryl Stern were a tad too caricaturish for my taste, but Katie Donohue as their daughter Anne was sweet and charming. The Act II sing-a-long, “The Best of Times” (led by Mr. Sieber) was rousing and joyous, and the show’s final moment left me smiling from ear to ear.

I wonder how involved director Terry Johnson was with this incarnation of the production. After having heard so many wonderful things about its joie de vivre on Broadway, this felt too flat to have been crafted by the same hand. Lynne Page’s choreography was good and feisty and expertly performed (I even got hit in the head with a beach ball!), and Matthew Wright’s costume design included some stunning gowns for Zaza and the “Cagelles.” Tim Shortall’s set design blurs the lines between the nightclub and the real world giving the whole production a real theatrical quality.

There are many things about this production to recommend itself, most notably Christopher Sieber’s star turn as Albin (probably worth the price of admission alone) and the stunning “Cagelles” during their performances. I only wish the rest of the production had stepped it up to the same level. What a night that would’ve been!

La Cage aux folles continues to November 18