It’s a solid “B” for effort for the Music Theatre of Connecticut’s season finale, a revival of the 1983 Tony Award winning musical, “La Cage Aux Folles”. MTC has taken chances before by scaling down outsized musicals for their intimate stage with mixed results. They hit a home run with “Ragtime” in 2019, not so much with “Sunset Boulevard” in 2022. Their current production of “La Cage” falls somewhere in the middle.
Based on the play by Jean Poiret which was the basis for the delicious 1978 French comedy, the Broadway “La Cage” was a daring choice at its time but seems almost quaint and maybe a tad dated by today’s standards (the word “transvestite”, for instance, has been retired). What with gay marriage the law of the land and trans rights being debated, the trials and tribulations of long-time couple Georges and Albin running a St. Tropez drag club called “La Cage Aux Folles” seems wholesome in comparison. Luckily Jerry Herman was in top form for this crowd-pleaser and his score keeps audiences humming with a book by Harvey Fierstein that, while shaky in parts, still has them in stitches.
Debonair Scott Mikita (Georges) and Frank Mastrone (Albin) share a sweet onstage chemistry on that is the highlight of the production under Kevin Connors’ able direction. Their duets together (“Song on the Sand” remains the show’s best ballad) become lovely expressions between a couple that has lived and loved a very long time and know each other all too well. In most productions Albin tends to steal the show over the more reserved Georges. At MTC, the reverse is true as Mikita demonstrates commanding authority and strong vocals while Mastrone, while singing beautifully, lacks the energy an extravagant Albin must possess. This is evident early on in the clever “A Little More Mascara” number, a song usually performed solo, where the actor has assistance making the transformation from house frau to cabaret star. Mastrone’s rendering of the powerhouse gay anthem, “I Am What I Am”, also doesn’t quite reach the heights it should as the act one curtain.
Playing Georges’ son Jean-Michel, Zachary Anderson is somewhat bland in the role, but his voice is a pleasant one and he’s fairly adorable with the lovely (and funny) Brianna Bauch as his fiancée. Cedric Leiba, Jr., playing Georges and Albin’s flamboyant manservant, is an audience favorite but it’s a role that I always find a tad tiresome in the writing. Connors has reduced the number of Cagelles (the nightclub’s leggy drag queens) to four and the guys here give their all and deserve credit for making their quartet seem overpopulated with talent.
Music Director Richard Carsey gets good results from a smallish orchestra and all the vocals are great at MTC. Scenic and properties designer April M. Bartlett has managed a pretty central set for a musical that really calls for more. The design doesn’t easily suggest or conform easily to the several areas required. This is an issue in the busy second act when an upscale restaurant has to flash back to the apartment and then to the “La Cage” dance floor. It leads to confusion. Resident designers RJ Romeo (lighting) and Diane Vanderkroef (costumes), however, provide their customary expertise at MTC.
It may not be “the best of times” for this musical at the Norwalk venue, but the packed house the night I saw the show would beg to differ (including my theatre partner). There’s still plenty here to recommend and assure a fun night out.
“La Cage Aux Folles” continues at the Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut through April 19. For further information and ticket reservations call the theatre box office at (203) 454.3883 or visit: www.musictheatreofct.com.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
