By Mike Hoban
‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Book by Harvey Fierstein. Based the play “La Cage Aux Folles” by Jean Poiret. Directed and Choreographed by Susan M. Chebookjian. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Scenic Design by David Allen Jeffrey; Original Costume Design by Matthew Wright; Lighting Design by David Wilson; Sound Design by Robby Davis and Robert Luke Pelletier. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham through August 18th
Reagle Music Theatre is closing out its 51st season with La Cage Aux Folles, the Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical which copped a multitude of Tony Awards in its 1983 debut and in subsequent Broadway revivals in 2004 and 2010. The show caps a solid summer season for the Waltham theater, and like the previous offerings (Mame and Sound of Music), La Cage is powered by strong performances by the leads and outstanding work by the supporting cast – in particular the eight “Les Cagelles”, the drag queen dancers that support headliner Zaza with some electrifying routines.
La Cage is set mostly in the St. Tropez drag nightclub, “La Cage Aux Folles” (which translates to “the cage of mad women” despite the absence of any women at the club, save the guests) and the apartment above shared by older gay couple Georges (J.T. Turner) and Albin/Zaza (James Darrah) who own and manage the club. Georges serves as emcee, and Zaza, who is kind of a cross between the late greats Totie Fields and Divine (Google them, kids) is the over-the-top main attraction.
Their idyllic life is upended when Georges’s 24-year-old son Jean-Michel (Jonathan Acorn), the result of a drunken experimental tryst with an actress named Sybil, announces that he is going to marry Anne (Lily Steven), the daughter of a rightwing politician whose election platform includes plans to shut down the drag clubs and gay bars in the district. Jean-Michel wants the approval of Anne’s father, Monsieur Dindon (Richard Allegretto) and wife Marie (Maureen Brennan) so he arranges for them to come and meet his parents. But in order avoid problems, he asks Georges to tone down his persona for the visit, and more importantly, to keep the cross-dressing Albin out of sight, with the biological mother Sybil being inserted in his place. The dilemma sets the stage for farcical comedy wonderfully, but also provides the pathos for the musical, as Albin – who raised Jean Michel since birth – is reduced to a nonentity in his own household.
What makes the production sing is the chemistry between Turner as Georges and Darrah as Albin/Zaza and the terrific choreography by 2018 IRNE Award winner Susan M. Chebookjian and her male dance troupe. Boston theater favorite Turner is a natural charmer in any role, and while not in the same class as Darrah as a vocalist (“Song on the Sand” was noticeably off on press night), he excels as Georges in the dual duties of showman (when he is the emcee) and compassionate partner to the often challenging histrionics of Albin. As Zaza/Albin, Darrah is a powerhouse both comically and vocally. He’s a riot as he struggles to butch it up when asked to try on the role of “Uncle Al” during the number, “Masculinity”, and brings down the house at the end of Act I with the gay pride anthem, “I Am What I Am.”
Chebookjian cast a blend of college theater majors and pros (Will Burke, Joseph Cullinane, Andy Edelman, Justin Flores, Christopher Mitchell, Dwayne P. Mitchell, Michael Morley, and Paul Watt-Morse) to put together her crack dance team of “Les Cagelles”, and they practically steal the show, combining precision and wild enthusiasm to deliver a handful of showstoppers during the nightclub numbers. Speaking of scene stealers, Benz Atthakarunpan is a scream as butler-turned-maid Jacob, who dreams of being a chorus girl as he attends to Albin’s every whim. And Rob Orzalli follows up a breakthrough musical theater performance as the opportunistic Max in Sound of Music with another assured outing as the straight man (comically, not sexually) Francis, whose dating life with dominatrix Hannah turns increasingly adventurous. The rest of the cast is first-rate as well, and the full cast number, “The Best of Times,” is the joyous highlight of the evening. And Matthew Wright’s original costumes (both the drag outfits and the post-disco era clothes) should get their own star billing.
For a show that debuted over 35 years ago, and with the social progress we’ve made with regards to acceptance of the LGBTQ community, one would think that La Cage would be a bit archaic. But in light of recent political developments, that may not necessarily be the case. For better or worse, we now have gender neutral bathrooms in some of the urban areas, but with the anti-LGBTQ policies enacted by the current administration and some states, the character of Monsieur Dindon is still personified in far too many legislative bodies. But if the enthusiastic reaction of the crowd on opening night is any indication, those views won’t be gaining any traction at the Reagle. Check it out for yourself. For tickets and information, go to: www.reaglemusictheatre.org
