MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS The Honor Roll - Part 6

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS

The Honor Roll - Part 6

Just one musical today from the Honor Roll of my top twenty-five musicals. A Tony winner for Best Musical, just this one show fills up an entire post. In its way, it was a groundbreaker back in 1983. But, before we begin, let's take a look back at the New York theatre lineup in December, 1983.

 And now….Open your eyes. You have arrived at…La Cage aux Folles. (Cue intro music)

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES  – Book by Harvey Fierstein, Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman

When La Cage aux Folles opened at the Palace Theatre in New York on August 21, 1983, it caused quite a stir. The very first musical to feature a homosexual love affair at its center, La Cage, despite the sexual orientation of its leading men, was just about as traditional a Broadway musical as they come. It had everything a 1983 audience could want. You wanted glitzy show biz? La Cage had production numbers with an abundance of glamour and pizzazz that dazzled its patrons. You wanted hummable tunes? Jerry Herman gave 'em to you song after song after song. You wanted great sets, lights and costumes? Check, check, and check. Solid direction and terrific choreography? No problem there. How about some great acting? With George Hearn and Gene Barry as the original Albin and Georges, the leading roles were infused with charm, pride and humanity. Based on the French play La Cage aux Folles by Jean Poiret and later made into a delightful French film of the same name (watch the version with subtitles), this is infinitely better than the grating Americanized film version, The Birdcage. For me, as a gay man, it was thrilling to see a gay relationship portrayed onstage and even more thrilling to have the show embraced and cheered and I fell in love with the show. It won a slew of Tony Awards that season, including Best Musical, ran for nearly 1800 performances in New York, had multiple North American touring companies and international productions, including major ones in Australia and London, and has become a popular money-maker for licensor Samuel French. But as time marched on, the sweet innocence of the inhabitants of St. Tropez seemed out of step with the rise of AIDS, the growing power and influence of LGBT organizations, and the anger of playwrights like Tony Kushner and Larry Kramer. It became almost a period piece, enjoyable to be sure, but decidedly old-fashioned. The first major revival of La Cage in 2004-2005 did nothing to change that impression. But in 2010, a pared-down, newly invigorated production from London's famed Menier Chocolate Factory opened at the Longacre Theatre that made the twenty-seven-year-old La Cage seem penny-bright and fresh, with the focus firmly on Albin and Georges. Yes, it was still predictable and old-fashioned and it's certainly not a perfect show. The ending has always been a bit problematic in both film and musical versions. (I've not seen the original play version, so I can't comment on its ending.) It's as if the authors went "We need to wrap this up…now!" and whipped up the frantic, unbelievable finale. The penultimate scene in the restaurant has the tiresome "The Best of Times," which just goes on forever and, for some reason, has always irritated me. (Possibly because it's a second-rate tune?) But then, everything calms down and the show is once again about Albin and Georges, if only for a few final moments, and all is right once again at La Cage aux Folles.

Sidebar: One of La Cage's Tony wins was for Jerry Herman's last original Broadway score. In accepting his Tony, composer Herman, gave an uncharacteristically ungracious acceptance speech with a not-so-subtle dig at fellow nominee Stephen Sondheim's ambitious and challenging score for Sunday in the Park with George. It was definitely not one of Herman's finer moments.

Digital records and CASSETTES!

Box office sales were still the most preferred method of getting the best seats. For a Wednesday night, top price was a staggering $45.00. Ah, memories!

December, 1983. New Year's Eve performance. Champagne was being poured in the Palace lobby. It wasn't free, mind you, but it was being poured nonetheless and the atmosphere was festive. A beautiful New Year's Eve night at the hottest ticket on Broadway. What could be better? The audience excitement was palpable, an excitement that would escalate as the show played, culminating in a screaming, rapturous standing ovation at the show's end. The hottest ticket on Broadway did not disappoint. From the glamour and wow factor of the opening number to the final strains of "Song on the Sand" that brought down the final curtain, La Cage charmed us, utterly and completely. It was something old and comfortable…a traditionally-made musical with hummable tunes and lots of great production values, yet at the same time, something new and, for the time, daring…a gay couple as its leads. Hard-working George Hearn played Albin in a breakout performance that netted him a well-deserved Tony. Outrageous and proud, he gave a layered performance that was exciting to watch. When he finished "I Am What I Am" and stormed up the Palace's aisle to end Act One, the theatre exploded in cheers and applause. Gene Barry as Georges oozed his trademark charm from "Bat Masterson" and "Burke's Law" and was an unexpectedly good musical performer, a definite yin to Hearn's yang. I can't say enough about the direction (Arthur Laurents), choreography (Scott Salmon), sets (David Mitchell), lights (Jules Fisher) and costumes (Theoni V. Aldredge). Boasting a solid supporting cast, I need to give a special shout-out to the ten men and two women who were the "notorious" Les Cagelles. As I said earlier, it's not a perfect show, and even then, I found "The Best of Times" to be a bit too perky and feel-good for the show. It sounded as though it was a discarded song from Hello, Dolly! Quibbles aside, this was a simply grand way to welcome 1984. – at the Palace Theatre, New York

June, 1986. It took a long time for La Cage aux Folles to find its way to Chicago, and when it did, it unfortunately landed at the inhospitable barn that everyone loved to hate, and with good reason, the vast Arie Crown Theatre tucked away inside McCormick Place. But producer Allan Carr made sure we got to see what New York was raving about…at least physically. Duplicating the same fantastic design elements as the original, La Cage looked great and sounded great, but lacked, oh, I don't know, the same heart (?) as the production I saw 2 ½ years earlier. Producer Carr cast one name from television, but one who did have some theatre bona fides, and a Tony-winning actor much admired in the theatre world. As Georges, "Hollywood Squares'" Peter Marshall was amiable enough without being particularly memorable. As Albin, Keene Curtis brought true star power to the evening and gave the part a heart and soul that was especially effective in "I Am What I Am." One interesting note: on Broadway the show was cast with twelve Cagelles; on tour, it was reduced to ten. The show seemed a bit lost in the Arie Crown, but then, every show was a bit lost in the Arie Crown. I enjoyed it, but felt it somewhat lacking. – at the Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago

Sidebar: Best known for hosting "Hollywood Squares" for fifteen years, Peter Marshall also had some Broadway cred to his name. He was a replacement for Georges in the New York company of La Cage near the end of its run (paired there as well with Keene Curtis). But, as a musical theatre nerd, I know him best, billed as Peter L. Marshall, from the original cast recording of Skyscraper, the Julie Harris (!!)-starring musical. What? You've never heard the recording? Once you've listened to "Haute Couture," you'll know why the show was a 1965-66 failure.

December, 1987. The one thing that you could always count on whenever you saw a show at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in suburban Summit was a Broadway-quality production that was impeccably cast, designed and staged. Their production of La Cage aux Folles was just that. Bright and shiny with a cast that included a very handsome and debonair Joel Craig as Georges, a sweet and vulnerable, but with core of strength, James Harms as Albin, and Chicago favorites Dale Benson as the pompous conservative politician and Ami Silvestre as restaurant owner Jacqueline, this production was a bouncy, tuneful delight with production values that belied the theatre's function as a dinner playhouse. Make no mistake. This was a thoroughly classy production in every way. Candlelight clearly spent some money on this production and spent it well. Perhaps it was the intimacy of the venue, perhaps it was the joyous cast, but whatever the reason, this was the one time I actually didn't mind "The Best of Times." It was performed with such infectiousness, it seemed curmudgeonly not to clap along. So I clapped along with the rest of the sold-out house. A stunning production. – at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, Summit, IL

Sidebar: James Harms is a versatile, much sought-after Chicago-based actor who, when he's not stealing the show with a bravura performance, is quietly giving a masterful performance in a supporting role. His Albin is widely regarded as a Chicago legendary performance and who am I to disagree? In the cast as one of the six Cagelles (reduced from the touring production's ten) and also credited as co-choreographer along with James Harms (what can't the man do?) was a young Rudy Hogenmiller who decades later would be the Artistic Director of the highly-regarded Light Opera Works in suburban Evanston.

February, 2005. The first Broadway revival of La Cage aux Folles featured an all-male, consistently hard-working "Les Cagelles," which added an extra bit of spice to the proceedings. Starring Daniel Davis, best known as the butler in television's "The Nanny," as Georges and Tony-winner Gary Beach as Albin, this production had more than its share of ups and downs. On the up side…Jerry Mitchell's sensational choreography for his talented group of Cagelles gave the show a vibrancy and a vitality that was often missing elsewhere in the performance. Costume designer William Ivey Long outdid himself in feathers, fur and sparkle. The show wore its heart of its collective sleeve and it was obvious everyone on stage was there to entertain you. On the down side…even with its themes of family values, homophobia, respect and equality, La Cage seemed a bit tired and clunky in 2005. The normally likeable Gavin Creel as the son was directed as a selfish, nasty little toad and, as a result, his "Ah Ha!" moment near the end of the show was too little, too late and rang false. Michael Benjamin Washington as Jacob, the sassy, flamboyant maid, was so over-the-top, it was, frankly, irritating. Perhaps, most interestingly, I found Gary Beach's performance as Albin to be, while competent and enjoyable overall, to be a bit stilted, a bit flat. Everything was done well, mind you, it just didn't seem to have much heart to it. His "I Am What I Am" was sung powerfully, but it came off, for me at least, as an effective rendition rather than an emotional one. I much preferred Daniel Davis' wry and sardonic Georges, even if at times he seemed to be channeling his character from "The Nanny." Whatever. It worked. – at the Marquis Theatre, New York

Sidebar: A few weeks after I saw it, La Cage was in the news when Daniel Davis was abruptly fired, effective immediately, after a late March Sunday matinee. Although Davis has never publically spoken about this, to my knowledge, the reasons given were a toxic backstage environment caused by Davis' intense dislike of co-star Gary Beach, his disrespect to Beach and other company members, and, due to the situation, missed performances. Although his departure had been rumored, the actual event, and the immediacy of it, took Broadway insiders by surprise. The backstage drama did not transfer on to the stage of the Marquis and watching the performance, you'd never know anything was amiss between Davis and Beach. That's onstage professionalism.

June, 2005. Robert Goulet has been a star since he took his first bow as Lancelot in Camelot  in 1960.  His rendition of "If Ever I Would Leave You" became an instant standard. A Tony-winner for the minor Kander/Ebb musical, The Happy Time, Goulet's star career spanned forty-seven years until his death in 2007 and included a wildly successful recording career and acclaim both on stage and on television. Prior to taking over for Daniel Davis in La Cage, Robert Goulet had been absent from Broadway for nearly a decade. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon than with a Broadway legend, so Bob and I bought two really good seats at the TKTS booth and spent some quality time with Albin, Georges and the Cagelles. We weren't disappointed. Although the flaws in this production were still present, Goulet brought a suave sophistication that was missing in Davis' performance. Handsome and commanding, if at times a bit tentative in his scenes, his voice, even at seventy-one, was rich and powerful and lovingly caressed the lovely "Song on the Sand" and "Look Over There." Gary Beach's performance this time around was sharper, more involving, almost as though the change in casting prompted him to up his game. All in all, a good afternoon. – at the Marquis Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Although La Cage aux Folles won the Best Revival of a Musical Tony at the 2005 Tony Awards, surprising since the superior revival of the rarely-done Pacific Overtures was also in the running, the show was never a box office smash. It never played to sold-out houses and even with the addition of a bona fide star like Goulet, it closed shortly after we saw it.

 December, 2010. Conventional wisdom would advise that it would be foolish to bring back another revival of a musical only five years after the last (its first Broadway revival) revival of it, especially since that revival, despite winning a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, received less-than-rave reviews and did less-than-stellar box office. But then conventional wisdom hadn't reckoned with London's scrappy Menier Chocolate Factory, a tiny Fringe theatre that consistently does great things in a small space and consistently brings home awards and critical praise. The show that arrived at the cozy Longacre Theatre had a well-used look about it, a genteel shabbiness that was comforting. This was a place where the locals hung out for a good time. Yes, everything onstage looked worn and a bit cheesy and that was the glory of it. It let the heart of the show shine through. In toning down the production values, the glitz and the glamour, the show's focus also shifted to Albin and Georges, as it should always have been, and the event that set the story in motion, the engagement of their son to a right-wing politician's daughter. In spirit, this resembled the wonderful version I saw at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse twenty-odd years earlier. Understand, this was most definitely not a bare-bones production. There was a sizable chunk of scenery and lots of costumes, in various states of delicious tattiness. The direction by Terry Johnson, ably assisted with sparkling choreography by Lynne Page, was crisp and on mark. The six "notorious and dangerous Cagelles" were six individual human beings, each delightful in their own way. Robin De Jesus, as the maid Jacob, was suitably out there, but had the good sense to keep everything real. The exceedingly easy on the eyes A.J. Shively essayed the potentially problematic role of the selfish, priggish son, but managed to make him less selfish, less priggish, and created a nice portrayal of a young man truly having a struggle of conscience. In the most curious casting choice, one-time Eliza Doolittle Christine Andreas was cast in the thankless role of Jacqueline, and try as she might, Andreas wasn't able to make much of this one-note role. As Albin, Olivier-winner Douglas Hodge, in his Broadway debut, recreated his Menier Chocolate Factory triumph here. It was a stunning performance…vulnerable, tender, tentative, proud, loving. His towering "I Am What I Am" was awesome and thrilling. He justifiably won the 2010 Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. The biggest surprise for me, however, was television's Kelsey Grammer's ("Cheers," "Frasier") performance as Georges. It was a terrific performance with nuance, great humor, and a surprisingly agile voice. The chemistry between he and Hodge was obvious, which only made the show stronger. We were able to snag table seats in the front row, which allowed us to get immersed in the love, laughter and song that took place on the Longacre stage. During the title tune, one of the Cagelles danced on our table. Talk about up close and personal! It was a magnificent performance, a magnificent production. I fell in love with the show all over again. – at the Longacre Theatre, New York

Sidebar: At the 2010 Tony Awards, this revival won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical competing against some very strong competition. It's reviews overall were considerably better than the 2004 revival's, but, perhaps surprisingly, it never was a box-office runaway. It did well, actually it did very well for a spell, but then it chugged along for most of its run playing to houses that were probably just above breakeven.

Autographed by the cast in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, my number 1 charity.

April, 2011. As wonderful as Kelsey Grammer and especially Douglas Hodge were as Georges and Albin, respectively, it was the replacement cast that made this wonderfully old-fashioned, marvelously tuneful love story come truly alive. I've long been a fan of Christopher Sieber. He's talented, personable and he totally charmed my niece and nephew, and, by extension, me, when they met him at the stage door following a performance of Spamalot, their first Broadway show. Displaying an impressive amount of leading man charisma, his Georges was the best sung of the ones that I've seen. And what can I saw about Harvey Fierstein's Albin? By far, the most full-figured of the Albins, he was also unquestionably the funniest.  His comic timing was both flawless and shameless. If there was a punch line in his script (remember Harvey Fierstein is also the author of the book…and won a Tony for it.), Fierstein found a way to put it across. His nipple and croissant bits had us laughing so hard, we were practically crying. Not known as a singer, he nonetheless put across the numbers with a casual panache and it was his foghorn of a voice that made "I Am What I Am" the most potent rendition I'd heard. Tony-winner for Rent, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, was the new Jacob and he did a fine job with keeping it real and funny. We had such a great time at the stage-side table seats, we bought them again. This time Bob's seat was right next to the stairs that Albin used to exit the theatre at the end of Act One. He also sat on the top step and engaged in some scripted, yet improv, audience interaction during the title song. Bob, being right next to him, got serenaded and kissed by Harvey, to everyone's delight. It was one of those only-in-the-theatre moments. The physical elements were the same as the Grammer/Hodge production, but the approach and interpretation were different. I know it's called acting, but having openly gay actors play gay parts just brings an innate sensibility and nuance that straight actors, no matter how skilled, can manage. It was this added something that made this version my favorite of all the versions I've seen. This was as close to a definitive La Cage aux Folles as you could get. I loved every minute of it.– at the Longacre Theatre, New York

That's all for now. More later!

© 2015 Jeffrey Geddes