Review: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Ignite Theatre

La Cage Aux Folles: where the men are men and the women... are too. This hilarious and heartfelt story proves that love really does conquer all.

When Jean-Michel (Darren Koehler), son of famed drag club owner Georges (Jim Hitzke) and his starring diva partner, Albin (John White), tells his gay parents that he is marrying the daughter of a staunch conservative, they are less than pleased. Jean-Michel begs his parents to put their flamboyant lifestyle on hold and to hide who they are in order to appease the Dindon family at their introductory visit. A madcap farce follows as Georges and Albin do their best to play it straight for the sake of their son's happiness, but in the end, the truth spills out and the two young lovers have to explain the charade to everyone.

The performances by Georges (Jim Hitzke) and Albin (John White) are stellar, and they lead the show through the many twists and turns of the farcical script with ease. John White gives a particularly lovely rendition of "I am what I am", the show's powerhouse ballad at the end of act I. The supporting cast do a phenomenal job with the many vibrant and quirky characters surrounding La Cage Aux Folles. Les Cagelles (the dancing, cross-dressing chorus) are fabulous, and much applause should be given to the fact that these boys can sing and dance their hearts out, while wearing some very high heels and extravagant female costumes. In all, the performances for this show were heartfelt, unique, and daring.

Blake Nawa'a leads an 8-piece orchestra that was very well balanced with the singers, and choreography by Matthew Peters was intricate and flashy. The set design by Rob Prytherch was nicely done, though I wish the set changes could have happened quite a bit faster, with long changes between several small scenes.

Overall, there was a lot in this show that worked incredibly well. The few things that didn't sit well were some longer scenes that looked as though they could have used some better organization or business, and a couple of places where characters seemed a bit cartoonish for the reality of the moment. These things are shadowed, however, by the glittering flash that is grandeur of La Cage Aux Folles. It is a tough show to produce, and a tough show to perform, and these talented people have put on a fun version of this old favorite.

La Cage Aux Folles plays the Aurora Fox Mainstage August 14th - September 6th. Tickets are available at www.ignitetheatre.com or by calling 866-811-4111.

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