It's run and hosted by Georges (Billy Carter) with his partner Albin (Carl Mullaney) as the star turn. Living in an apartment above the club, their liberal corner of the world is a bubble of safety.
But the darker side of the outside world comes knocking when Georges' son Jean-Michel (Ben Culleton,) who was raised by the couple in his flighty mother's absence, returns from holiday to announce he's engaged. But he needs the blessing of his fiancée's parents, which will be tricky: Anne's (Sophie Pourret) father is Edward Dindon (understudy Craig Armstrong,) a right-wing politician gaining support on a homophobic platform promising to purge the Riviera of clubs like La Cage.
Sheader's production really highlights why Jean Poiret's play was such a natural fit to become a musical: The story turns around Albin's betrayal by Jean-Michel, who wants him to disappear so that he can present a conservative facade to impress his prospective in-laws, so it offers up both genuine emotion and a lot of farcical comedy potential. But then there's the fact that the lead characters run a cabaret, which opens up the possibility of big musical numbers and a lot of spectacle. And the show delivers, with the talented ensemble of "Cagelles" getting a lot of big numbers with a mix of frantic choreography (by Stephen Mear) and witty, tongue-in-cheek touches at every opportunity.
Albin's frocks come with built-in wheels and extra legs for the can-can, nodding at the fact that he's not quite as young and agile as his supporting cast these days. And a particular shout-out to the glittery blood on the decapitated head of Jokanaan from his Salomé days, probably the evening's best visual gag. Making this an even queerer and more inclusive show than it already was, that supporting cast includes Cagelles made up of drag kings as well as queens, and while 40 years since the musical's debut and 50 since the original play seems a good enough reason to revive it in itself, there's definitely also a topicality to its story about family, and the people who think queer lives are a threat to it: The club may be fabulous, but the faded curtains and encroaching vegetation of Colin Richmond's set remind us of its precarious state.
Shakeel Kimotho throws himself around the stage as Jacob, the butler/maid/wannabe Cagelle whose major gag is that he's so camp it's a bit much even for a drag club. Debbie Kurup's Jacqueline is a strong partner to Albin on a lot of his musical numbers, and saves the day at the end, while Julie Jupp as Madame Dindon has essentially been dressed in Thatcher cosplay by her husband who, however, makes it clear the lady's not for speaking. As the scene-stealing dominatrix Cagelle Hanna, Jak Allen-Anderson is a literally towering presence, especially in heels, and pairing him with Hemi Yeroham as his boyfriend Francis only makes him seem downright supernaturally tall.
In some ways Culleton has the hardest job as Jean-Michel is so dismissive of the people who raised him and entitled into the bargain; given that the actual villain is essentially a cartoon, Jean-Michel is the least likeable actual character in the show, and his attempt at a redemption arc only comes once he's realised which side is winning the day. Fair play though, Culleton tries to humanise him, and a surprisingly rich, classical musical theatre voice comes out of the twink for "With Anne On My Arm."
Georges is the largest part, and Carter marshals the whole show while giving us the conflict of realising that he's not just accommodated a cruel and unreasonable demand from his son, but chosen it over his partner's happiness. But inevitably Albin is the show-stealing role, and Mullaney brings out every moment of camp comedy without losing the pathos; tonight it earned him a rare mid-show standing ovation for the show's breakaway pop hit "I Am What I Am."
The second act loses steam a bit - the storyline about Albin trying to take on the blokeish persona of "Uncle Al" feels like an unnecessary extra humiliation, and treading water when we should be getting to the big showpiece finale. But apart from that pacing issue with the book itself, I'm not sure you could ask for a more flawless, heartfelt and relevant production.
La Cage aux Folles by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman, based on the play by Jean Poiret, is booking until the 23rd of September at the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park.
Running time: 2 hours 50 minutes including interval.
Photo credit: Johan Persson, Mark Senior.
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