La Cage

Really enjoyed seeing La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway last night.
 
The show is a little creaky and it’s definitely a period piece at this point. But this version has some lovely moments and is saved by a truly heartful central performance.
 
There was a very expensive, splashy, somewhat heartless revival on the Great White Way a few years ago. It had a lot of zip. A big orchestra. Lots of laughs. But nothing at it’s center.
 
This current version is pretty much its opposite. It’s a more spare production that aims for ratty realism instead of razzle dazzle. The orchestra is anemic and the leads aren’t ‘true’ singers – so the songs fall a bit flat. And the farcical elements aren’t always as tight as they should be. But Kelsey Grammer makes a solid and charming Georges (that’s Robin Williams to you The Birdcage viewers) and Douglas Hodge is absolutely amazing as Zaza. He wrings moments out of the wobbly text that are complete surprises. The first Act closer – the *sigh* I’ve heard this gay anthem before – “I Am What I Am”, is positively heartbreaking. A British actor best known for his Pinter collaborations, Hodge is in much different territory here but he truly does elevate the material. When his “son” asks that he not meet the hyper-conservative parents of his wife to be, he doesn’t play the moment for sitcom laughs or shreiking slamming doors – you can see him absorb the hurt, and his immediate reaction is quiet and vulnerable and pretty much the exact opposite of how you expect the moment to be played.
 
If you’re a fan of the show, get your tailfeather over to the theater. Though if you have a musical aversion or a fear of bell-bottoms- despite the talented leads – you’ll be fine to skip this one.