La Cage Aux Folles through the decades

La Cage Aux Folles, starring Michael de Mesa, Audie Gemora, Steven Silva, Noel Rayos, Joni Galeste, Sheila Francisco, Raul Montesa, Analin Bantug and Rafa Siguion-Reyna, among others, is currently being staged until Sept. 6 under the direction of actor-director Robbie Guevara.

When we first heard of it, we wondered why anyone would want to restage a material that has been around for ages since the ’80s and ’90s? It is the only production on Broadway that won Best Musical thrice at the Tony Awards and received the Laurence Olivier award for Best Musical Revival on West End. It enjoys four weekends at the RCBC Theater. But is this enough to attract today’s viewers?

This is a tale between two lovers, the manager of a drag-show nightclub (Michael as Georges) and his partner (Audie as Albin/Zaza), and their hilarious adventures after Georges’ son (Steven as Jean-Michel) gets engaged to a girl named Anne Dindon. Georges appears hesitant to support his son’s marriage, yet Jean-Michel convinces him that he really loves Anne. Jean-Michel then reveals that Anne is the daughter of Marie and Edouard Dindon (Joni Galeste and Raul Montesa), the leader of the “Tradition, Family, and Morality” Party that seeks to close all drag nightclubs around.  

The gay couple pretend to be a normal family, hiding under the name of Uncle Al to deceive the family of Jean-Michel’s fiancée. But Albin’s disguise does not impress Jean-Michel. Georges firmly reminds Jean-Michel that Albin has always been a mother to him growing up.

Georges finds Albin after his abrupt departure, suggesting that he dress up for dinner as a “macho” to which Albin grudgingly agrees, perhaps to get it over with. A telegram arrives with the news that  Jean-Michel’s mom Sybil would not be coming. At this point comes our favorite part of the musical,

“Hoping to save the day, Albin appears as Jean-Michel’s boxom 40-year-old mother, in pearls and sensible shoes. The nervous Jacob burns the dinner, so a trip to a local restaurant Chez Jacquiline is quickly arranged. No one had briefed Jacquiline on the situation, and she asks Albin (Zaza) for a song (The Best of Times), to which he agrees. Everyone in the restaurant begins to take part in the song, causing Albin to yield to the frenzy of performance and tear off his wig at the song’s climax, revealing his true identity.”

As all stories go, there is a need for a happy ending and this is achieved when the Dindons appeal to their daughter to forget her fiancé to which she naturally does not give in. They then have no choice but to leave but there is yet another thing blocking their departure. The Dindons will need to agree to the marriage of Jean Michel to Anne, otherwise Jacquiline has the press all ready to photograph these anti-homosexual activists and distribute their pictures all over the place.

In the end, it is Georges who will help the Dindons escape through La Cage Aux Folles next door disguised in drag costumes as members of the nightclub’s revue.

What do we think of the presentation? After initial doubts, we found Chesko Rodriguez’s (as Chantal) opener with multi-costumed dancers most attractive. Chesko last appeared as Popoy Pusakal in Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady, which we had watched, in PETA’s Rak of Aegis at least six times, and in Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah twice.

Dindo Divinagracia (as Hanna from Hamburg, Germany) is a versatile dancer, prolific choreographer and actor in Phnom Penh players’ production of Hysteria and Treasure Island. Carlos Deriada (as Phaedra the Enigma) honed his talent in dancing during college years at La Consolacion in Bacolod and received formal training in ballet, modern and contemporary dance.

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