‘La Cage Aux Folles‘ – Book by Harvey Fierstein. Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Based on the Play by Jean Poiret. Directed and Choreographed by Taavon Gamble. Music Direction and Orchestration by Andrew Smithson. Set Design by Janie E. Howland. Costume Design by Olivera Gajic. Lighting Design by Erica Lauren Maholmes. Sound Design by Larry Fowler, Jr. At Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI, through June 30, 2024.
By Linda Chin
Trinity Rep proudly celebrates its 60th anniversary season for the entirety of Pride Month 2024 with Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman’s La Cage Aux Folles, the 1984 Tony Award-winning Best Musical about being who you are and loving who you want. With inspired direction and choreography by Taavon Gamble and a spirited artistic team, cast and orchestra, Trinity Rep’s production is a very special creation indeed.
In her welcoming remarks, the house manager announced the sometimes dreaded news that “at this performance…the role played by Stephen Thorne” would be covered by an alternate actor. This is live theater, after all, and as a seasoned cheerleader of understudies, standbys, and swings, I was more curious about who’d be playing who than disappointed. It turned out that the character in question is one of the show’s leads – the sparkly-suited Georges, master of ceremonies at the St. Tropez drag nightclub where his spouse Albin (stage name Zaza) is the star performer.
The pacing does drag a bit at the top of the show – perhaps as the cast and crew were acclimating to the change – or perhaps as an intentional nod to the amateur acts in the show-within-a-show, but quickly gains its footing when the captivating Cagelles appear. Neither the five male dancers donning mini-dresses with blue, white, and red stripes nor any of Olivera Gajic’s outrageously stunning – or stunningly outrageous? – costume designs disappoint. Set designer Janie E. Howland and lighting designer Erica Lauren Maholmes also contribute color and visual oomph to the storytelling.
As Georges, Devon Russo is simply divine. Leaving their fancifully decorated flat above the club (where they live with their butler-maid Jacob), with his scene and romantic partner Albin/Zaza (a majestic, mellifluous C. Mingo Long), they go for a promenade singing “With You on My Arm,” and their portrayals of a couple in a homosexual relationship are sublime. Brad Reinking’s Jacob raises the bar for future portrayals of this role.
Georges and Albin’s 24-year-old son Jean-Michel (a charismatic Michael Jennings Mahoney) returns home to share the news that he is in love. He’s engaged to a woman named Anne Dindon (Kayla Shimizu), who is the daughter of an ultra-conservative official who is on a mission to shut down drag clubs, and a “meet the parents” dinner party (to which Jean-Michael’s real mother is invited to but Albin is sadly excluded) is in the works. As Edouard and Marie Dindon and restaurateur Jacqueline, returning Trinity Rep actors Dereks Thomas, Jenna Lea Scott, and Rachael Warren show terrific comedic timing and light up the stage. The familiar number “The Best of Times” is a showstopper. Russo and Long demonstrate their respective characters’ multi-layered selves in their emotion-laden performances of “Song on the Sand” and “I Am What I Am.”
For this reviewer, a mom of three twenty-somethings, Jean-Michel’s lovingly delivered (and lovingly received) “Look Over There,” an apology directed to Albin (the man who raised him with the unconditional love of a mom) brought me to tears. As envisioned and executed by Taavon Gamble, Trinity Rep’s La Cage Aux Folles is not as flamboyant as other productions I’ve seen (though yes, there are men in drag wearing topless, nipple-baring costumes), but it’s lots of fun, and with a multiracial cast no less resplendent in color. The actors’ joy in being part of this chosen family and playing dream roles was palpable. Happy Pride! For tickets and information, go to: https://www.trinityrep.com/
