Phil Fiorini in La Cage aux Folles (Tim Scott)
It’s been over 40 years since Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman’s La Cage aux Folles debuted on Broadway, and another decade since the premiere of the French play the musical was based on. The play about a gay couple being forced into the closet for fear of attracting the ire of regressive politicians is, unfortunately, as relevant as ever. The flip side, at least, is that the musical, currently onstage at Music Theater Heritage, remains as entertaining and joyful as ever.
Joy oozes from MTH’s production of La Cage. The production is scaled down—similar to the 2010 Broadway revival—with a six-piece band and about as many dancers (known as Les Cagelles) making up the show’s eponymous drag club. But the show, co-directed by Kansas City drag artist Daisy Buckët and Artistic Director Tim Scott, doesn’t feel small. An electric energy and vibrant visual elements fill MTH’s larger Grand Theater.
Among a strong ensemble, Terry O’Reagan gives a stellar performance as Georges, the nightclub’s owner and emcee. Georges plays the perpetual pacifier to his husband Albin (Phil Fiorini), the club’s star performer. Albin’s paper-thin skin and flare for the dramatic require expert mollification skills on a good day. When the pair’s son (Georges’ biological child, raised by them both) Jean-Michel (Ryan Russell) arrives to tell them he’s engaged to the daughter of the leader of the “Tradition, Family and Morality Party,” and that he wants Georges to pretend to be straight and for the cross-dressing, unalterably flamboyant Albin to clear out entirely—not even Georges can assuage those wounded feelings. (Christopher Barksdale-Burns also demands a special shout-out for his scene-stealing turn as Jacob, Albin’s endlessly supportive maid/confidante.)
Fiorini is phenomenal as Albin. He is the rare kind of performer who elicits instant and total affinity in the audience. His pain is our pain; when he wants us charmed, we are rapt. He and O’Reagan are marvelous on their own, but the chemistry between the two is transcendent. There is an ease and a tenderness between them that lets their comedic scenes sing and gives heartbreaking weight to Jean-Michel’s request that they hide not just Albin’s presence but the life they’ve built together.
La Cage aux Folles is a crowd-pleaser of a show. Tina Jane Rojas’ choreography is exceedingly fun. Sarah Reed’s grand set design sets the scene for spectacle, the nightclub stage flanked by pink feathery palm trees, with a smattering of cabaret-style tables for audience members up front. Shelbi Arndt’s lighting is lush and creative—giving Les Cagelles hot pink baton lights to illuminate themselves at one point was an especially inspired choice; the effect is a surprising sense of intimacy during an emotional musical number. Georgianna Londre’s costumes are splendid, mixing flowing fabrics with structure to create surprising, brilliantly bright silhouettes. The design elements, music (led by Ty Tuttle), and strong cast coalesce to make La Cage aux Folles a delightful and heartfelt experience.
