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A new cast for the award-winning musical
Who would have thought that the cure for recession blues could be found in a diminutive theatre just off Waterloo Bridge? The auditorium goes dark, the spotlights come up, and six strapping lads in sequin dresses perform 'We are what we are' with glorious panache and a wry nod to Chicago’s 'Cell Block Tango'. I defy anyone to remain straight-faced.
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Though it’s camp, funny, outrageous and quite literally in the faces of anyone brave enough to sit in the front row, this La Cage is a class act - from the brilliant performances of the whole cast (especially new stars Roger Allam and Philip Quast) to its subversive good looks. Taking advantage of the popular rise of burlesque, the costumes and choreography work this 80‘s musical into a sumptuous contemporary shape, while Tim Shortall’s beautiful set is a spectacle surpassed only by the troupe of athletic male dancers frocked-up and doing the splits. Contrary to the lyrics, they aren’t so much “an illusion” as a fascinating contradiction: man-meets-Hollywood-goddess.
© BSkyB Ltd
