Curiocity: 'La Cage' Is Rather Gaudy, But Oh-So Grand

By Eric Henderson and Sara Boyd

Boy meets girl, girl kisses boy, boy asks girl to marry him, boy rushes home to tell his father and mother, who happens to be one of the most renowned drag queens in all France.

This scenario has been presented in so many incarnations, I'm tempted to approach La Cage Aux Folles with the Beauty and the Beast lyric: "Tale as old as time."

Nothing seems to excite Broadway audiences quite like seeing the thrill of seedy entertainments blown out to epic, spangled dimensions, which is something that the makers of this revival of La Cage Aux Folles seem to understand -- and something that was ever so clear in its opening night Tuesday at Minneapolis' State Theatre.

With a show of such epic proportions, a true review simply can't be tackled by just one writer. Since the show has been transformed into both a revival of the stage show and a motion picture, we felt it was only necessary to have both a movie blogger (Eric Henderson) and theater blogger's (Sara Boyd) take.

Eric, why don't you "kick" things off.

Eric: Though the tale of middle-aged gay lovers Albin and Georges is, at heart, as domesticated and good-hearted as The Sound of Music, the paper-clip showbiz antics of the titular club's drag show are cheekily presented as being about as professional as the, ahem, variety show of Cabaret.

The trick is, of course, to present the nightclub acts as spectacularly as possible, which in this case they do, so much so you'll wish there were more of them. The drag chorus line, known lovingly as Les Cagelles, are stunning performers across the board. They perform acrobatics, contortions, mind-blowing extensions and can-can splits with the best ... and they do it all in heels.

Sara: That was perhaps the most impressive part of the show for me. These men -- strong, built, muscular men -- were transformed into such graceful, beautiful, even delicate, dancers -- all doing jetes, pirouettes and flips, without so much as getting a run in their stockings.

The Les Cagelles dancers provided some of the best moments of the show, adding a colorful flair to an otherwise simple stage. I'm not sure if this is a compliment or an insult -- though meant to be the former -- but at times, I even had to remind myself, these are men. And I'll be honest, a few times I gasped at a nip slip before realizing, oh wait, that's not indecent.

Eric, I know we talked about this last night, but you agree, no?

Eric: Ladies, it's a cliche when you say, "He walks better in heels than I do," but in this case, you'll be forgiven for repeating it six times. The clincher, though, is that they're also feigning amateurism. They're prone to interjecting quips and catty banter during performances. For some, there's a fine line between the art of drag and clowndom, but Les Cagelles make a fine case for ignoring that line.

Sara: Very true. I felt there was a perfect blend of over-the-top and then over-the-top of that. But beyond the ladies of the night, let's move on to, er, the ladies of the night -- Georges and Albin. Christopher Sieber, who is already a giant name in Broadway, simply blew me away. He was brilliant. Though he already performed in La Cage before as Georges to Harvey Fierstein's Albin, I must admit, now having seen his performance, I can't imagine him as anything but Miss Zaza.

It reminded me a bit of Nathan Lane's performance in "The Birdcage," but Sieber also made it his own. His pipes were nothing short of impressive and more than a few times throughout the night he stole the show for me. Eric, what was your take on Sieber?

Eric: Christopher Sieber makes for a galvanizing Albin/Zaza. In some hands, the role can come off overpoweringly stuffy and whiney, but Sieber constantly tempers Albin's temper with good humor and a zest for life. The downside is that his vitality only serves to highlight how little there is in his co-star George Hamilton. It may have seemed a good idea to cast Hamilton at first, given his tongue-in-cheek "can you believe I'm a star?" persona should've been a solid match with the show's knowingly campy artifice.

But if a headlining talent can't really sing and can't really dance and can't really project that persona to the furthest reaches of the balcony, then he should probably reconsider being in a musical.

Sara: Sadly, I have to agree with you here but at the same time admit, when you see the words "George Hamilton in La Cage Aux Folles" you can't help but be filled to the brim with curiosity. And I'm sure that's a big draw for many attendees. Still, his performance lost a bit of that "wow, it's George Hamilton" after the first few acts. His vocals, though tender and somewhat surprising, just weren't where I was hoping they'd be. And I'll give it to him -- for 72, the man looks good (perhaps a little too good?) and still has that classic charm, but his movements showed his age.

While the dancers and yes, his much younger partner Albin, were frolicking and four-stepping, Mr. Hamilton seemed more marionette than mover-and-shaker.

Still, from beginning to end this show is fantastic. It has everything and more that your little heart could desire -- the comedy is brilliant and perfectly timed, the music is stellar and will keep your feet tapping and the unbiased, unwavering love in its storyline is sure to be felt by all.

"La Cage Aux Folles" runs to Oct. 23 at the Hennepin Theatre Trust's State Theatre in Minneapolis. Tickets range from $35 to $89 and are on sale now. For more information and to get your tickets, click here.