By Linda Chin
I didn’t get to see La Cage aux Folles until late in its nearly sold-out run, but several days later I am still singing the songs, laughing at some of the show’s many funny lines and campy bits, and feeling the feels of this incredibly heartwarming production. Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s production of La Cage demonstrates how musical theatre is a truly collaborative art form, how it can entertain and educate, how a production that first opened 40 years ago is still relevant, and how unbelievably good it feels to be back at live theatre again.
Like other theatres in the region, Seacoast has experienced bumps and bruises in the last two years, but is moving forward in their 2022 “Celebration” season with a bang. La Cage is the second musical in an ambitious lineup of mainstage productions (starting with Music Man and continuing with Once, up next) that delivers on their goal of providing the community with high quality, meaningful theatre experiences year-round. I was engaged from the start – the program notes describing the work of the Seacoast LGBT History Project, the pre-curtain remarks dedicating the show to a Portsmouth native Charlie Howard who died in 1984 from a brutal homophobic attack, and the beautiful set and solo musician setting the story in Saint Tropez.
La Cage aux Folles is the story of a gay couple, Georges and Albin, who have been life partners for 20 years and are work partners in a nightclub that features drag entertainment. Georges is the manager and Albin, as Zaza, is the club’s star attraction. George’s son-from-a-heterosexual-liaison, Jean-Michel, is newly engaged to a lovely young woman-with-ultra-conservative-parents and wants to arrange a gathering of the two sets of mothers and fathers at their family home.
Chaos and hilarity ensue, and with wonderful performances by the entire cast and orchestra, creative choreography and costumes, this production shines. The directing team of Ben Hart & Brandon James, Jason Faria, Alyssa Dumas and their troupe of storytellers bring out new layers in Harvey Fierstein’s book. Jerry Herman’s marvelous music and lyrics are also amplified in this production. Perhaps because of Seacoast Rep’s resilience, this big show being performed in a small space, and given our pandemic and divisive times, “The Best of Times” – the usual show-stopper – and “I Am What I Am” – the show’s usual anthem – were particularly powerful. But in this go-around of seeing La Cage, the number I found particularly poignant was “Look Over There” – was his tribute to mothers and their unconditional and boundless love. For information on upcoming shows, go to: https://seacoastrep.org/
