Flashing Back to a Little Bit of Flash

I'm currently on a little sabbatical with my mom, so I'll be away from my computer for a few days.  Next week, keep your eyes out for thoughts on several new museums that we plan to check out, and a review of She Loves Me.  I am so excited to be sharing that with my mom.  Anyway, I went through the review archives and came up with this one, which is sort of coincidental, because this is the last show my mom and I saw together in NY!  I was hoping to reprint one of my favorite all-time reviews for you this year, but again the date got past me.  Maybe next year... :)

5/13/10:  La Cage Aux Folles is just one of those shows I love.  The music makes my toes tap and I laugh like an idiot at the silly plot machinations.  It’s just one of those shows. We all have one, right?  I saw the revival a few years ago with Gary Beach and Daniel Davis and loved it.  In fact, I made my mom and sister come into town to see it with me. So when discount tickets opened up for this well-reviewed revival, I grabbed one.

Again, I had the best time.  My toes tapped and I laughed like an idiot.  I had a smile on my face the entire evening.  Well, except for during "I Am What I Am," which for some reason struck me particularly hard last night.  I don’t know, I never really imagined it applying to me before but it sure did last night.  Weird.

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

Douglas Hodge is really incredible as Albin/Zaza.  He’s fluttery and over the top, yet completely real and so moving.  You just want to hug him.  His singing takes on so many different characteristics—he’s got a bit of Piaf in him, some Marlene Dietrich, and his phrasing also has a hint of Anthony Newley.  It sounds odd when I describe it, but he’s completely entrancing.  And Kelsey Grammer is terrific as Georges.  Charming and endearing, with spot-on comic timing, Grammer is the perfect host.  His low-key singing is also lovely and is a nice contrast to some of the bombast of the other numbers.  

Instead of an opulent and bugle-bead studded theater, we are in a shabby, well-worn place where all these disparate and quirky characters end up.  I definitely enjoyed the stripped down approach to the proceedings.  It forces the audience to focus on this couple and their story, instead of focusing on the glitz and faux-glamour.  Hodge and Grammer make such a real and tender couple, with idiosyncrasies and exasperations, but you always feel the love and deep commitment they have to each other.  That’s what makes the betrayal of the son so much more moving and Hodge’s self-discovery during "I Am What I Am" even more explosive than in productions I’ve seen before.  

The supporting cast is also quite good—AJ Shively is a callow boy, but well-plays his gradual acknowledgement of the hurt he has placed on his parents; Veanne Cox is always fun; Christine Andreas doesn’t have much to do as the restauranteur Jacqueline, but she puts her stamp on things anyway; and Robin deJesus as Jacob is a scene-stealer.  It’s as if Rosie Perez had wandered into this nightclub--some of his line deliveries are sidesplitting. The Cagelles are also terrific, doing some crazy choreography with aplomb.  They’re pretty funny—they might sing about being ‘illusions’, but there’s no illusion to them. These are muscle-bound gym boys who revel in the incongruity of dressing up as women. There are only six of them, but they certainly can fill a room.  They’re all great fun.

I give the show a HUGE thumbs up, but, then again, I just love this show.  It was the perfect pick-me-up and I should probably get a second job so I can go see it a few more times. 

Also, to catch up on things, last Sunday afternoon I was fortunate to accompany a lovely and talented friend to a matinee performance of The Temperamentals.  I’ve been so busy this week, I haven’t had time to write a review.  I have to say I wanted to love this show and I feel badly that I didn’t—I did think the story was compelling and the two lead actors were quite good (and, oh my, how charming and adorable is Michael Urie?!?!), but I didn’t think the play itself was completely successful.  It seemed to me to be trying too hard to be too many things—was it a book report play?  A searing character study?  It seemed an uncomfortable combination of both, to me.  It seemed like the scenes I wanted to see acted out were done as monologues, and vice versa.  (does that even make sense?)  Plus, and I think I’ll put this at the feet of the director, the opening scene was directed in a rather ponderous fashion, so it took me a while to get engaged.  Perhaps it’s just me.  I do feel there has to be a better play about this topic out there.  I will admit to knowing absolutely nothing about the Mattachine Society before seeing the show, but I definitely want to know more.  I guess I’m glad I saw it, I just wish I had liked it more.