Image: Noah Mullins as Jean-Michel, Paul Capsis as Albin/ Zaza and Michael Cormick as Georges in the new Australian production of 'La Cage aux Folles'.
The buzz amongst the theatre set of Sydney was palpable last year with the exciting news that the legendary Broadway musical, La Cage aux Folles, was making its long-awaited return to the Sydney stage – only to be postponed a couple of weeks before opening night thanks to Covid! The musical now returns to Sydney for a limited run in February.
Once it was announced that legendary Australian performer Paul Capsis would be playing the role of Albin/ Zaza, fans of the show and of Capsis himself just about lost their collective minds, with fans further flung from Sydney demanding the show tour before ticket sales had even started!
The Birdcage
La Cage aux Folles is adapted from a French play of the same name, which literally translates to “the cage of crazy women” and tells the story of Albin and Georges, owner and star performer respectively of a Saint-Tropez nightclub.
This particular nightclub features controversial drag performances and the farcical ways in which the family attempt to smooth things over with their son’s prospective and very conservative in-laws, the father of which is head of a right-wing political party on a mission to close all the local drag clubs, which sounds weirdly familiar somehow. Hilarity ensues!
Written by Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Torch Song Trilogy) and Jerry Herman (Hello Dolly, Mame), La Cage aux Folles musical gave us the hit song and anthem ‘I Am What I Am’ and was the inspiration for the cult-classic 90’s film adaption, The Birdcage, starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.
Limited Sydney Run
This limited Sydney run, directed by Cameron Menzies and starring Capsis, Michael Cormick as Georges and newcomer Noah Mullins as Georges’s engaged son Jean-Michel is being produced in Sydney by David M. Hawkins from Showtune Productions who passionately spoke about bringing this iconic show back to the Harbour City after such a long break, 37 years to be exact!
“It’s a really important show for our community and was groundbreaking in its day and still is really. It was the very first Broadway musical to have the two romantic leads as gay men! And they are bringing up a son together. It was a huge hit here in the ’80s,” said Hawkins.
‘La Cage aux Folles’ is playing a strictly limited, eight-performance season at The Concourse Theatre from February 1 until February 5, More info from theconcourse.com.au
