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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.
There’s so much that can go wrong with a musical like La Cage aux Folles: the story goes that Georges, a gay club owner, and Albin, his transvestite partner and star of the cabaret, are forced to “act straight” after George’s son announces his engagement to the daughter of a right-wing politician. As years of Am Dram versions have testified, it’s a minefield of potential crass stereotypes, cliched comedy and bawdy over-acting. But from the opening number of this revival, director Terry Johnson establishes that there’ll be none of that on his production.
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.
Inevitably this ensemble upstages the cabaret's supposed star turn: Albin as “Zaza.” But Roger Allam, stepping ably into Graham Norton’s stilettos, shines best when he’s out of the drag-queen’s spotlight. He’s hilarious without being absurd and heartbreaking when, for the sake of appearances, he’s pushed out of his unorthodox family unit in favour of a more acceptable, though twenty-years-absent, mother.
There’s a remarkable chemistry between him and Georges, now played by the ever-brilliant Philip Quast, with a voice and charisma more dazzling than his horrendous sparkly suit. In a show famed for its glitz, laughs and drama queens, the pair manage to bring out the genuinely touching love-against-the-odds story at its heart. They are what will make La Cage stick with you while other West End dazzlers fade with the rising house lights.
© BSkyB Ltd
