This year marks the 40th anniversary of Jean Poiret’s famous play La Cage aux Folles and 30 years since the premiere of the original Broadway production of the same name. Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Harvey Fierstein.
The original Broadway musical (1983) received multiple awards, played more than 1700 shows over the course of four years. There were two revivals (2004, 2010), both received a Tony Award in the corresponding nomination. In 1986 the musical opened on West End, but after 300 performances it had to shut down due to the crisis and the rapidly evolving AIDS epidemic in the UK: producers made a decision to close the show temporarily due to the ethical considerations. And in 2008 the musical successfully returned with a bang!
For two years the show ran consistently with only a few interruptions and received many positive reviews from the press as well as was honored with a Laurence Oliver Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Prior to the Broadway and West End productions, the spectators in the U.S. and Europe have watched several comedies, based on Poiret’s play from the directors Edouard Molinaro (1978, 1980) and Georges Lautner (1985). The story tells of the two elderly homosexuals, living in Saint-Tropez, where they own a nightclub “La Cage aux Folles”. Together they have raised a heterosexual son. He falls in love with a girl from a very proper family, and her father is an ultraconservative individual. However, the boy must introduce his parents to the future in-laws and that turns into quite a difficult trial for all involved…
The actors Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault – who played the two leading roles in the original movie, created very vivid and unforgettable characters, that the viewers simply fell in love with. All three movies - La Cage aux Folles, La Cage aux Folles 2, La Cage aux Folles 3 - are considered the most popular non-english speaking, foreign movies in the U.S.
At different times between 1983 and 2017 the role of Albin/ Zaza in the musical La Cage Aux Folles was played by such amazing and famous actors as George Hearn, Gary Beach, Douglas Hodge and others. They all played the striking star of the drag show, at that a very sensitive wife and tender mother to her adopted son – Jean-Michel.
The remarkable work of Douglas Hodge in this role brought several esteemed awards to the project. And his Zaza, according to the opinion of various theater critics, proved to be the most touching and sensitive. His partner Georges – portrayed by Gene Barry, Denis Quilley, Daniel Davis, Denis Lawson, Kelsey Grammer and others, was quite multifarious, even though the parameters for that character were more strict according to the author of the original play.
I believe, that the best Georges I have seen – was Kelsey Grammer. And their pair with Douglas Hodge - was simply exemplary.
The show became the first musical, openly addressing the topic of homosexual relationships. One of the performers who played a Cagelle, a professional Drag Queen and musical theater performer – Vincent Celeiro aka Nomi Sas, shared that when he performed in the show, he truly enjoyed the opportunity to be in such an ensemble where one gets to create a character, a story for oneself, but at the same time – the Drag Queen persona exists as “the undertone” in the show.
La Cage aux Folles went on multiple tours in the U.S., as well as the U.K. It is impossible to come up with the exact number of productions in various regional theaters. Over the span of several decades, twenty-six international productions occurred, and the show was translated into thirteen different languages!
At that, one must note the amazing work of the German team that opened the show at the Komische Oper Berlin. The show, directed by Barrie Kosky, opened at the very end of January and will be running until June 9th. The amazing chameleon-like orchestra of the Opera added new colors to the breathtaking score of the musical. The bold set by Rufus Didwiszus, who balanced between minimalistic and sexually explicit set pieces, as well as introduced the original images of neon birds as backdrops, terrific costumes made of pink feathers, golden brocade, lace stockings and sparkly sexy underwear designed by Klaus Bruns, energetic choreography by Otto Pichler which beautifully unites twirling, tapping, can-canning and step – take the viewers on an unforgettable extravagant journey.
The lead performers – Stefan Kurt (Albin) and Peter Renz (Georges), both did a terrific job and the fact that Kurt is not a classically trained singer, when as Renz – is a former tenor at the Komische – was simply a cherry on the top.
Another interesting touch to this production was added by the appearance of Helmut Baumann in the role of Jacqueline! Helmut was the original Zaza back in the 1985 German premiere.
Do not miss this fabulous production!
