Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman; book by Harvey Fierstein; based on the play “La Cage Aux Folles” by Jean Poiret; scenic design, Tim Shortall; costume design, Matthew Wright; lighting design, Nick Richings; sound design, Jonathan Deans; wig and makeup design, Richard Mawbey; orchestrations and dance arrangements, Jason Carr; choreography, Lynne Page; directed by Terry Johnson
Cast in order of appearance:
Georges, George Hamilton; Les Cagelles: Angelique, Matt Anctil, Bitelle, Logan Keslar, Chantal, Donald C. Shorter, Jr., Hanna, Mark Roland, Mercedes, Terry Lavell, Phaedra, Trevor Downey; Francis, Dale Hensley; Babette, SuEllen Estey; Jacob, Jeigh Madjus; Albin, Christopher Seiber; Jean-Michel, Billy Harrigan Tighe; Anne, Allison Blair McDowell; Colette, Ashley Kate Adams; Etienne, Ken Clark; Tabarro, Danny Vaccaro; Jacqueline, Gay Marshall; M. Renaud, Bruce Winant; Mme. Renaud, Cathy Newman; M. Dindon, Bruce Winant; Mme. Dindon, Cathy Newman; Waiter, Todd Thurston
Performances:
Now through December 18, Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre, Tremont Street, Boston. Tickets start at $33 and are available through Telecharge at 866-348-9738, online at www.BroadwayInBoston.com or www.citicenter.org, or at the Box Office at Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston (Tuesday-Saturday, 12 noon to 6 pm).
Something’s lost and something’s gained in the recent Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles now playing its Boston tour stop at the lovely Shubert Theatre on Tremont Street through December 18. This loud, raunchy and slapstick reinvention by Tony Award-winning director Terry Johnson has sacrificed some of its romantic heart for grittier humor. The show is now funnier than other versions I’ve ever seen, but it’s less sentimental, too. I laughed more but cared less.
The boisterous tone is set even before the curtain goes up on Tim Shortall’s shocking-pink St. Tropez nightclub. As patrons enter the theater, a brassy, bawdy drag queen – unquestionably a man whose tall, muscular frame is made even more imposing by four-inch platform heels – taunts and teases the audience in a strident, high-pitched voice that is more annoying than entertaining. The device is part cruise ship and part vaudeville. Its invasive nature makes it very clear that we have taken our seats ringside to a show that is going to be relentlessly “on.”
