The Croswell Opera House staged “La Cage Aux Folles” this week, the 1983 Broadway musical with the book by Harvey Fierstein and music/lyrics by Jerry Herman. From start to finish, La Cage is delightful. At its core, La Cage is a love story. It serves as a reminder that love takes on all shapes and forms. Like most love stories, where there is love, heartache can’t be far behind. Croswell’s La Cage Aux Folles is entertaining and vibrant, while also highlighting the complexities of family relationships.
The arts have always delivered potent social messages. The story of ostracizing people is a familiar theme in America. Families often ostracize their own, creating wounds that can be hard to heal. La Cage is a story of one family where a grown son attempts to ostracize his mother because his mother is a gay man.
In Croswell’s La Cage Aux Folles, which translates to the cage of crazy people, artistic director John MacNaughton does a masterful job in delivering the message of a poignant love story. That love story contrasts with the rejection experienced by Albin, played by Johnny Reed, simply because of his lifestyle. Albin’s spouse Georges (Eric Parker) and his son Jean-Michael (Matthew Porter), discuss Jean-Michael’s desire to impress his potential in-laws. Georges feels his son’s demand that Albin, the only mother he has ever known, be told he is not welcome to meet his future in-laws, is cruel. He sings his protest so forcefully in the song “Look Over There.”
Jean-Michael’s fiancé Anne Dindon (played by Caroline Coy), her father Edouard (Lane Hakel) and her mother Marie (Dawn Kingman) are set to visit and meet Jean-Michael’s parents. Edouard is the leader of the Tradition, Family & Morality (TFM) party, which believes that homosexuality is a sin. When Albin is told he is not wanted and should stay away, the hurt was palpable in the theatre.
In the most powerful moment of the show, alone on the stage while standing in the spotlight, Albin ends Act I, his voice cracking with emotion singing “I Am What I Am.” That song served as a declaration to the world, on behalf of all people marginalized by others. Albin sings:
“I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the aces, sometimes the deuces
There’s one life, and there’s no return and no deposit
One life, so it’s time to open up your closet
Life’s not worth a damn
‘til you can say
Hey world, I am what I am.”
As the curtain fell on Act I, the audience roared their approval. It was an incredible moment.
Wanting Jean-Michael to have his family present, Albin dresses in drag to be Jean-Michael’s mother. Dinner goes well until Albin is asked to sing at the upscale Chez Jacqueline. It turns into a fun fest and everyone applauds at the end. And in that moment, Albin forgets who and where he is, and he becomes his stage character ZAZA, takes a bow and removes his wig to reveal he is really a man.
Outraged, Edouard orders his family to leave immediately. Slowly, Edouard realizes that he is in a club full of gay people and cross-dressing performers, with press photographers everywhere. Georges offers an escape route which Edouard reluctantly accepts. To get out of the club unnoticed by the press, the Dindons dress as showgirls and dance their way out of the club. Hakel, in a dress and heals, is hilarious. His exit with the dancing boys and girls leaves the audience roaring with laughter.
Director MacNaughton does a brilliant job in bringing out the emotions in La Cage – the love and the hate. Hakel’s portrayal of Edouard is the perfect antagonist. He is immediately disliked for his boisterous, overbearing and obnoxious demeanor. It is his pompous character that represents the judgmental side of America. Albin provides his own dose of retribution when he asks Edouard for a favor – at birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries – which Edouard immediately agrees to attend, Albin flatly says – “Don’t.”
Croswell’s “La Cage Aux Folles” is a visual delight. Designer Alexandria Szczotka’s costumes are stunning. They are colorful, flamboyant and plentiful. The costumes create a visual spectacle from start to finish. Evan James Copeland plays Jacob, Albin’s butler/maid. His costumes were ingenious, bordering on ridiculous, which made them very funny. Every minute he was on stage was wonderful.
Dean Shullick’s choreography was precise, visually pleasing and steamy. When the Cagelles (the dance ensemble) were on, a sea of motion filled the stage that was both frolicking and breath-taking. Shullick incorporated tap, couple’s slow-dancing and a synchronized, high-energy kick line, which the Cagelles executed perfectly. Shullick highlighted a more raucous part of the club La Cage Aux Folles with the character Hanna, played by Everett Hanley. Hanna wore black leather and was handy with a whip. Hanna dating stage manager Francis (Walter Book) provided a glimpse into a different kind of love relationship.
Music director Jonathon Sills created a well-executed musical performance, with the orchestra providing perfect sound to back up the singers.
It is tricky to successfully combine comedy with a love story. It requires a delicate balance for both elements to shine. MacNaughton achieved that. The actors did not overreach for laughs. The cast were real people, living real lives, dealing with real problems. And that made this production special. The audience was invited into the lives of a non-traditional family as they dealt with disappointment and hurt feelings. But in the end, MacNaughton delivered a love story.
Croswell’s La Cage Aux Folles will provide audiences with an evening of wonderful entertainment. It runs now through June 22. Showtimes are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling (517) 264-7469 or online at www.croswell.org.
Photos by Steve Sheldon
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