La Cage Aux Folles Tour Los Angeles

[jackhammer91406]

We saw the touring production of La Cage Aux Folles at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood last night. This production is supposed to be the Broadway production but in small according to the L.A. Times reviewer last week. While he liked the show, he did note that it was a smaller cast overall.

 

We enjoyed the show. But with George Hamilton in the lead role of Georges, you come in with somewhat reduced expectations. It's not that he doesn't have the presence, he does. His timing and delivery is fine. He just can't sing very well (in my opinion). But the Playbill notes that the show is in Association with George Hamilton Productions, so guess he didn't have to worry about being fired. I felt the actor playing the son was also miscast. He has a great singing voice, but just has no stage sense. The actor playing the maid/butler was too over the top for my tastes. I might have liked him better if he would slow down his delivery and not try so hard to do a French accent. He was virtually manic onstage and not being able to understand his dialogue kind of limited my appreciation of his performance.

 

Sets, lighting, costumes and small orchestra were all fine.

 

Christopher Sieber who played Albin was a real standout. His Act 1 closing number, the anthem I Am What I Am would have stopped the show were it not intermission.

The audience was mixed with a large gay crowd in attendance. The age range was from 16 to 95. This information was established by the pre-show drag queen Ms. Lili Whiteass ( Todd Lattimore) who did a wonderful warm-up 20 minute set. When the 16 year old identified herself, Ms Whiteass did a slow take and then remarked that the young lady was going to have some questions at the end of the show.

The show is in a limited engagement.

[ted]

Since apparently George Hamilton is playing the part Kelsey Grammer did on Broadway, I'm not sure his voice is much worse. Kelsey mostly sung/spoke a la Rex Harrison his musical numbers. And unless there are a few less Cagelles, not much in the way of cast to cut. I think there may have only been 7 on broadway This last broadway revival was very pared down compared to the previous one already. Did they reduce the stage size - its been awhile since I've been in the Pantages, but I remember it as very large compared to the theatre that housed this version on Broadway. Your criticisms seem to mirror pretty much my thoughts on the broadway production, so perhaps the direction of some of the actors is at fault, since for the most part the cast is not the same

[+ Lucky]

The Cagelles are cut from 12 to 6 in this production. What surprises me is that they have a 20 minute warm-up act!

The LA Times did love it:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-review-la-cage-aux-folles-at-the-pantages-theatre-20120711,0,4077681.story

[ted]

did the same on broadway at least the two nights I saw it, although I didn't time the warm up and according to playbill there were only 7 cagelles in NY

[+ Lucky]

!2 Cagelles were in the original production of LaCage. I was not referring to the latest production.

[jackhammer91406]

One correction on the review: the transvestite doing warm up was not local. A simple Google search reveals this performer has been with the show since New York.

[LurkerSpeaks]

I saw this touring company here in Phoenix a few months ago. I would rate it as good, but not great. I agree that pretty much all that Jackhammer has stated. The maid was pretty much incoherant. George Hamilton just came across as too much older than Christopher Sieber.. One thing to note, Christopher Sieber has now played both lead roles in La Cage. He played Georges on Broadway, then "switched" to Albin for the touring company.