It might be staged in a parish hall, but there is nothing parochial about this production of La Cage Aux Folles. For an am dram group to choose such a show is bold, and for that they deserve credit, but for them to pull it off with such gusto is both surprising and highly commendable.
The story, for those who aren’t big fans of camp musicals, goes something like this. Georges and Albin have a happy if stormy life together, running a drag club in Saint-Tropez in the south of France. At La Cage Aux Folles, Georges runs the show while Albin – or to use his stage name Za Za – is the star. But when Georges’ son Jean-Michel announces his engagement to the daughter of a notoriously narrow-minded politician, his unconventional family’s efforts to play it straight result in comedy and tragedy in almost equal measure. La Cage is played for laughs, but there are very modern morals too, concerning love, honesty and pride.
Joe Connor is excellent as Georges, stuck between the two men he loves, while Steve Benson, as the ultimate drama queen, Albin, is wonderful and also credible in the more serious moments. Ryan Entwistle, as Jean-Michel, provides a touching performance, and Philip Morris as the butler/maid Jacob is very much the comic star of the show.
With an outstanding ensemble cast decked out in an outrageous amount of sequins and feathers, La Cage Aux Folles is a triumph. As Za Za might say – brava!
