Reverend’s Reviews: La Cage in LA

When it first opened in 1983, the Jerry Herman-Harvey Fierstein stage musical adaptation of La Cage aux Folles was a far riskier venture than most Broadway productions of the time. Despite being based on a popular French stage play and an international hit film (which would be remade as the acclaimed, English-language The Birdcage in 1995), the unabashedly pro-gay musical was opening at the height of AIDS hysteria and much resultant anti-gay sentiment. The beloved, Tony Award-winning Herman — who had scored the classics Hello, Dolly! and Mame — even had a certified panic attack prior to the show’s pre-Broadway tryout in conservative Boston.

He needn’t have worried. Happily for all concerned, La Cage aux Folles was an instant smash in both Boston and New York. It eventually won six Tonys and ran for over four years. It’s 2004 and 2010 Broadway revivals both won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, making La Cage the first show to win a record three times for best musical production. Now, the 2010 revival is making its Los Angeles debut in a tour headed by out Broadway star Christopher Sieber (a Tony nominee for his hilarious turns in Monty Python's Spamalot and as the diminutive Lord Farquuad in Shrek the Musical) and 72-year old Hollywood legend George Hamilton. It is running through July 22nd at the Pantages Theatre.

Hamilton (as tan, in-shape and perfectly coiffed as ever) plays Georges, manager and MC of a popular gay nightclub in St. Tropez. Georges is also the longtime partner of his drag revue’s star, Albin (Sieber, who played Georges during the revival's Broadway run opposite Fierstein as Albin). Also known as Zaza when performing, Albin is the more flamboyant and histrionic of the two. Their relationship is put to the test when Georges’ son, Jean-Michel (a fine, attractive Michael Lowney), suddenly announces his engagement to the daughter of France’s leading family-values crusader. Before the in-laws-to-be meet over dinner, Jean-Michel demands that his birth mother be invited and Albin be put out of sight for 24 hours.

The plot, though fairly familiar now as a result of the various films’ popularity, remains fresh thanks to some tweaks from Fierstein, moments of improv by Sieber (he references Sarah Palin at one point to uproarious effect, asking Hamilton “Can you see Russia?” when Hamilton’s head briefly ends up under Zaza’s skirt) and the plot’s own inherent timeliness. The musical’s greatest strength is Herman’s score, featuring such memorable, hummable gems as “The Best of Times,” “Look Over There,” “Song on the Sand,” “A Little More Mascara,” “With You on My Arm” and, of course, the now-classic “I Am What I Am.” Sieber performs the latter anthem of gay- and self-pride more angrily than it has traditionally been done, and the result is riveting. Herman himself declared after the 1983 premiere of La Cage that he was so pleased with its success he would never write another original musical (although he did subsequently write a handful of songs for the 1996 made-for-TV movie, Mrs. Santa Claus, starring Angela Lansbury).

The revival now in LA and on tour originated in London and is on a smaller scale and more intimate than the show’s original staging. Directed by Tony-winner Terry Johnson and energetically choreographed by Lynne Page, this incarnation of La Cage has a reduced chorus and orchestra and only six gender-bending Les Cagelles. The orchestra wasn’t at its best opening night but this may have been due to adjustments necessitated by the Pantages’ cavernous space.

As is appropriate, the heart of La Cage remains the committed if frequently frustrating relationship (is there any other kind?) between its lead gay characters. Sieber has impeccable comic timing, a superb voice and is nothing but delightful as Albin/Zaza. While not the strongest singer, Hamilton’s voice is certainly pleasant enough and his dancing is impressive. Hamilton was a bit stiff opening night during his initial banter with the audience, but he loosened up as the show proper began. He and Sieber have excellent, genuine chemistry. Hamilton gets bonus points for being one of the few big-name actors of his generation to not only play a gay man respectfully and compassionately but to kiss his co-star full on the lips at the show’s climax. In the original Broadway production, nervous leads Gene Barry and George Hearn only kissed each other on the cheeks, claiming to follow “French tradition.”

Alas, as I witnessed opening night in LA, not all of today’s audience members are necessarily more comfortable than they were back in 1983 when it comes to acceptance of same-sex relationships. A heterosexual couple walked out in the middle of Act I, and several seats in my vicinity previously filled by heterosexual couples were empty when Act II began. I’d love to know which show the deserters thought they would be seeing when they purchased their tickets, perhaps the latest Cirque du Soleil extravaganza? More blatantly, a man seated a few rows behind me and my partner yelled out in opposition to drag performer Lily Whiteass’ pre-curtain call to legalize same-sex marriage in California. As far as American culture has come in the last 30 years, thanks in no small part to artistic works like La Cage aux Folles, we still have a way to go.

Reverend's Rating: B+

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Reel Thoughts Interview: From a Different Angle

Broadway has proven much more welcoming to GLBT actors than Hollywood, and one example is Christopher Sieber. The tall, handsome actor has had success in television, playing father to the Olsen Twins in Two of a Kind and one half of a high-profile but short-lived gay couple in It’s All Relative, but his real successes have come on Broadway. The 6’2” Minneapolis native has entertained audiences playing Sir Galahad in Monty Python’s Spamalot (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award), the tiny Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical (another Tony Nomination), Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and Billy Flynn in Chicago. His latest Broadway appearance was replacing an ailing Jeffrey Tambor as Georges in La Cage aux Folles opposite none other than the writer himself, Harvey Fierstein.

In the show, the two play the Emcee and star attraction of a seedy San Tropez drag bar who have been partners for over twenty years and have raised a son together. Their lives are thrown for a loop when their son Jean Michel announces that he is getting married to the daughter of a rabidly anti-gay politician. If that wasn’t bad enough, the ungrateful boy wants his dad to de-gay the house and invite both the in-laws-to-be and his biological mother to dinner, leaving Zaza in the cold. This sets up the most awkward dinner party imaginable, especially when Zaza “saves the day” by appearing suddenly as Jean Michel’s “Maman.” Offering running commentary is Jacob, their maid/butler and a bevy of dangerous Cagelles, the performers from the club. From the show comes the classic GLBT anthem “I Am What I Am”, “The Best of Times” and the title number.

Now that La Cage has closed on Broadway and gone on national tour, Sieber has been busy donning wigs, mascara and gowns to play Fierstein’s role opposite none other than George Hamilton as Georges. The debonair and permanently tanned Hamilton is thirty years older than Sieber, giving their relationship extra poignancy. I spoke with Sieber, who was very funny and down-to-earth, about how life is on the road with Hamilton in La Cage. “I’m seven foot eight in hair and heels,” Sieber laughed. “Even my dad said, “You know, Chris, you’re not an attractive woman.” I told him, “Yeah, Dad, I know. It’s okay.”

Not every actor gets to play both halves of a couple, and Sieber was grateful for the opportunity to play Georges first. “Thank goodness that I had that experience, because now I know the ins and outs of the part playing opposite Harvey, the guy who wrote it. I never expected to play Albin, it just sort of happened. It’s kind of strange that I’m doing it, but playing opposite Harvey was pretty cool."


Sieber has nothing but praise for his famous co-star. He said that Hamilton was open and admitted when he was having challenges learning his lines at first. “He is absolutely the loveliest guy. He’s so generous, he’s so sweet. He doesn’t have a diva bone in his body. He really works his butt off because he wants to be good. And the stories that he tells! He’s been with every starlet and every star in Hollywood and he knows them personally, so when you hear these old Hollywood stories, you just ask George what really happened and he’ll tell you. He was there! He’d talk about Judy Garland and he was with (President) L.B.J. for a while and dated his daughter. It’s amazing t he amount of drinking that went on in old Hollywood…”

Well-known ladies’ man Hamilton had no trouble playing gay, Sieber said. “He had a gay brother, so he was very cool with it right off. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, but the first time we kissed, we had never rehearsed it, we just looked at each other like, “This is happening,” and we did it,” he said, laughing. “And of course, he went off to the side a little because he barely knew me, but now it’s just full-on kissing. He doesn’t really care what people think of him, because he’s so charming, he’ll win you over anyway. We’ve developed a really great working relationship but also a personal relationship. He trusts me completely, and he really has to,” Sieber explained.

“This production is very intimate,” Sieber said. “Our director, Terry Johnson, wanted it to be like a club where you would go. Everything is very close. In the original, the gag was “which one’s a man, which one’s a woman?” We don’t have that. We’re a drag club. There are no women Cagelles. There’s a line that we’re bawdy but we’re also rather grand. Ours is kind of gritty. La Cage aux Folles has been around a while, which is like Georges and Albin’s life. We’ve been together twenty years and we built this life together, probably the only life we ever could have had, being gay people in that time period. We’ve carved out this beautiful, wonderful life together.”

“What makes me laugh is when Georges introduces the Cagelles, he’s showcasing the talent, but the talent he’s showcasing is terrible. Chantal can hit a note, but she really doesn’t do anything. Hannah from Hamburg has a skill with a whip, but Phaedra, the Enigma, literally has no talent. The only thing she does is flick her tongue. That’s her talent,” he said laughing. Of course, the buff and agile actors playing the Cagelles have nothing but talent, and if you are lucky enough to sit at the onstage cabaret tables, they will put their talents right in your face.

“There is so much heart. It’s such a great story. Ultimately, it’s about a family. It doesn’t matter who you love, just that you love. With today’s political climate, where they’re making us gays and lesbians footballs to kick around and say we’re evil... Santorum can kiss my f-in’ ass, but even someone like Rick Santorum, if he came to see our show, it might, possibly, change their mind. The message is so strong, and people leap to their feet at the end. Even the hardest of theater-goers, who were probably dragged their by their wives, probably didn’t want to be there because they thought it was going to be “a bunch of fruity guys leaping around in skirts”, they are leaping to their feet and clapping and cheering because they got it.”

Zaza’s beauty secret is Dermablend make-up, developed to cover up scars. “I’m not hairy by any means, but every guy gets a five o’clock shadow. This stuff Dermablend just takes it away. After eight shows a week, it takes its toll on me, with the corset and the lipstick. My face is okay... I moisturize like crazy because I’m a good gay boy. I have some great shoes... I have nine different pairs and half of them are heels. It’s up-and-down, up-and-down, up-and-down.”

Sieber came out publically while promoting ABC’s sadly short-lived comedy It’s All Relative, where he and John Benjamin Hickey played parents of a girl who begins dating a boy with conservative Irish-American parents. “I thought I’d nip it in the bud and get it out there, since I knew it was going to be a high-profile show on ABC. I’ve known I was gay since fourth grade. If you make a big deal out of it, it will be a big deal. If you don’t, it won’t.”

The La Cage aux Folles tour will play Tempe's Gammage Auditorium starting tonight and running through May 20th. For tickets, future tour dates and locations and more information, see the tour's official website.

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Dearie Awards 2011: Stage Show of the Year - THE NORMAL HEART

We now present The 5th Annual Movie Dearest Awards!

The 2011 "Dearies", chosen by myself and my fellow Men on Film, Chris Carpenter and Neil Cohen, honor the best and brightest of film, television and theater as covered here on Movie Dearest.

To kick off the festivities, we turn our attention to the stage...

26 years after its debut, Larry Kramer's controversial, landmark drama The Normal Heart finally made it to Broadway, and with all its power still intact. One of the first plays to tackle the subject of the AIDS crisis, the new production featured a stellar cast (including the Broadway debuts of such gay faves as Ellen Barkin, Luke Macfarlane, Lee Pace and Jim Parsons) and drew critical raves and numerous awards, including three Tonys.

Honorable Mentions:
Daniel Radcliffe proved there's life after Hogwarts with his crowd-pleasing turn in the hit revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, now starring Glee's Blaine, Darren Criss. And on the high heels of La Cage aux Folles came another glitzy drage musical based on an international blockbuster, this time from down under: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Reverend's Reviews: A Bold Menagerie

"Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

These words of the narrator, Tom Wingfield, open Tennessee Williams' classic play The Glass Menagerie, first produced in 1944. While the words may be the same, the revival now playing at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles through October 17 is a bolder, longer and — most surprisingly — funnier staging than has likely ever been mounted. It also brings the play's autobiographical and homosexual subtexts roaring to the fore.

Director Gordon Edelstein and an exceptional cast headed by Judith Ivey take what purists may perceive as excessive liberties with the work. However, Williams actually encourages this in his original forward: "Being a 'memory play,' The Glass Menagerie can be presented with unusual freedom of convention." Taking full advantage of such license, the current production is set in a New Orleans hotel room that Tom has taken refuge in after fleeing his stifling family home in St. Louis (wherein the action ordinarily takes place). Furniture is occasionally moved while the play's three other characters enter and exit or are viewed through a translucent wall to evoke the original setting, but the hotel room remains dominant.

Tom (played superbly by Patch Darragh) sits at his typewriter, situated alongside the collection of tiny glass animals from which the play draws its title, and begins to write. He reads aloud as he types Williams' dialogue. Immediately, Tom's function as a stand-in for the author becomes apparent. Tom's overbearing mother, Amanda (Ivey), and sensitive sister, Laura (Keira Keeley), enter when evoked. The pivotal "Gentleman Caller," Jim O'Connor (a very impressive turn by Ben McKenzie of TV's Southland and The O.C.), also appears as written although Tom is clearly more romantically/sexually interested in him here than is usually presented.

Laura is treated as tragically as ever, although her after-dinner conversation with Jim is, while faithful to Williams' text, significantly lighter and funnier. This actually has the effect of making Jim's eventual rejection of her that much more painful to watch. Keeley is excellent as Laura, and makes the physically- and emotionally-stunted character touching without being pathetic.

For many, the main draw of the Taper's production will be the chance to see Ivey as Amanda Wingfield, who is probably Williams' most memorable female creation after/alongside Blanche DuBois. Ivey is great if at times overripe, the result perhaps of overindulging Amanda's "giddy and gay" side. She also seems to be channeling Beth Grant in Sordid Lives when she displays excessive sympathy ("Awwwwww, you're a Christian martyr, yes, that's what you are!") during her telephone calls to potential magazine subscribers. But when Amanda gets serious, so does Ivey, and she gives the woman a rage that eclipses any prior incarnation of Amanda I've seen.

I largely appreciated the production's more overt depiction of Tom's homosexual tendencies even if at times it felt excessive. Tom comes across as more flamboyant than usual and even speaks with a slight lisp; there are moments when he sounds like Truman Capote. An uncomfortable moment arises while he drunkenly relates his late-night encounter with "Malvolio the Magician" to his sister. With his pants down around his ankles and clad only in boxer shorts, Tom mounts his bed on all fours and makes it very clear that he served as one of the illusionist's "tricks"!

Edelstein & Company's Glass Menagerie certainly isn't our parents' version, but it makes for a revelatory and often enthralling night of theatre.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

MD Poll: The Best of Times

The classic gay musical La Cage aux Folles recently made history by becoming the first show to win Tony Awards for every single one of its Broadway productions. And now, it has been named your favorite From Screen to Stage show of the 2009-2010 season!

See the comments section below for the complete results.