OOH LA LA FORÂ LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
With songs by the incomparable Jerry Herman, bookwriter Harvey Fierstein once again broke ground after his Torch Song Trilogy with La Cage aux Folles. It was groundbreaking as the first Broadway musical to prominently feature a gay couple as main characters along with an ensemble of drag queens, called Les Cagelles. Today’s audiences may not know this, but some who were there understand how radical the musical was in 1983 (the original film even more so in 1973). Today, it is simply a heartfelt, spirited show that combines comedy, straight and gay romance, and a powerful message of acceptance — plus, it has terrific songs. Under Directed by Se Layne‘s direction, Palm Canyon Theater’s production, which has been extended to November 17,  effectively balances the glitzy, show-stopping musical numbers with moments of tenderness and authenticity
Set in a nightclub on the French Riviera, it follows the lives of Georges, the club’s owner, and Albin, his partner and star drag performer Zaza. The high drama begins when Georges’ son, Jean-Michel, announces his engagement to Anne, the daughter of a conservative politician who is arriving the next day with his wife to meet the family. To secure her family’s approval, Jean-Michel asks Georges to downplay his relationship with Albin, going so far as to uninvite him from the family meeting as a drag queen doesn’t exactly fit the bill for traditional family morality. This leads to a hilarious and touching clash of identities.
The musical explores themes of family, identity, and love, with standout performances by Luke Rainey as Georges and Ron Coronado as Albin, whose relationship is portrayed with both humor and genuine warmth. Rainey brings charm and subtlety, grounding the show with a more understated but deeply loving energy. His warm, rich vocals in “Song on the Sand†is a tender highlight. Coronado brings the requisite warmth, vulnerability, and prowess to Albin. His “I Am What I Am,†which has been an iconic gay anthem for over 40 years, is fierce as he delivers it with heart, strength and determination. On this pride weekend in Palm Springs, his performance was a palpable declaration of empowerment and self-love.
As Jean Michel, Ian Ferris appropriately balances fear and anger at his flamboyant parents with steadfast love he has for them, emotions challenged by the prospect of rejection by his future in-laws (in the scene where he suggests they have to get rid of any “obvious ironies†Ferris would have been more believable if he played it with, as the song says, a little more “Masculinity”). Raul Valenzuela is hysterically campy as the maid/butler Jacob not just every time he makes an entrance, but throughout. Donald Kelley commands the stage, suitably sneering and strutting as Anne’s right-wing father, the stuffed-shirt politician Edouard Dindon (French for “turkeyâ€) and Jana Giboney does a hysterical turn as night club owner, Jacqueline.
Made up of Derik Shopinski as Hanna, Adam Hieter as Mercedes, Jimmy Ashmore as Phaedra, Jackson Enzler as Bitelle, John Rathgeb as Monique, Timothy Rathke as Odette, Noah Wahlberg as Dermah, Alicia Wilson as Angelique, and Sanai Wright as Clo-Clo, the Les Cagelles ensemble effectively deliver Nathan Wilson’s high-energy choreography — in Derik Shopinski’s shiny outfits — that supported the show’s joyful celebration of life and love. (Shopinski’s gowns designed for ZaZa are quite splendid.) J.W. Layne’s set was among the best I have seen at Palm Canyon Theater.
Perhaps most importantly, Jerry Herman’s score is as enchanting as ever. But apart from Herman’s contagiously singable score and laugh-out-loud lyrics, La Cage, like its French source, is a marvel of taut dramatic construction, with a terrific first-act finale, Fierstein’s whiplash-witty dialogue, and a farcical build-up in the second that reduces homophobia to a contemptible cartoon.
photos by Kaminsky Productions
La Cage aux Folles
Palm Canyon Theater, 538 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs
Thurs at 7; Fri and Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on November 17, 2024
for tickets ($17-$38), call 760.323.5123 or visit PCT