La Cage aux Folles

Music & Lyrics by
Jery Herman
Book by Harvey Firestein

presented at
Theatre Building Chicago
May 22 — July 11, 2009

Directed by
Stephen M. Genovese

Choreographed by
Christie Kerr

Musically Directed by
Nick Sula

Produced by
Thomas J. Samorian

Cast:
Kristine Burdi, Maxwell Burnham, Debbie DiVerde, Stephane Duret, Nancy Greco, Ryan Guhde, Michael Kingston, Ryan Lanning, Jamed Nedrud, Caryn Ott, Galen Schloming, Tom Shea, Patrick Tierney, and Kevin Bishop as Albin.

Jerry Herman's music and Harvey Fierstein's book bring into glittering light the story of Georges and Albin, two men spending their lives together in St. Tropez. Georges owns La Cage aux Folles, the drag club below their flat. Albin performs at La Cage as Zaza and, while the chorus queens jealously dub him “too old, and washed up,” the crowds adore him. Georges and Albin’s twenty years of domestication are thrown into a whirl when Jean-Michel, the son, fathered by Georges during a one-night heterosexual fling, comes home with news that he is engaged to Anne. That’s the good news. The bad news is that her father is a right-wing politician and head of the Tradition, Family and Morality Party, whose sworn aim is to squash the vice of local drag clubs by shutting them down. When they try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership of La Cage, the real trouble begins.

Georges receives a telegram that Jean-Michel's mother, Sybil, isn't coming. With Anne's parents arriving any minute, Albin flees to his room, emerging as a buxom forty-year-old woman purporting to be none other than Jean-Michel’s mother. They do their best to impersonate a straight married couple, but the encounter turns into a crazy and very funny comedy of errors, resulting in an alternately poignant and boisterous celebration of true family values.

Rave reviews for La Cage aux Folles:

"BoHo Theatre delivers a delightful revival"
- Venus Zarris, Chicago Stage Review (Highly Recommended)

"La Cage aux Folles charms with empowering wit."
- Brian Kirst, Chicago Free Press (Recommended)

"'I Am What I Am' is a showstopper ... Kevin Bishop's performance is a real tearjerker."
- Dennis Polkow, New City (Highly Recommended)

"Go see this highly entertaining, colorful extravaganza."
- Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times (Highly Recommended)

"The BoHo staging has style, wit, dazzle, and unforgettable performances."
- Joe Stead, SteadStyle Chicago (Highly Recommended)