The revival of La Cage aux Folles, book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, starring Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge, now on Broadway, is the epitome of Camp, with very little reality (until the end). Hodge is a great performer, but seems to be mocking the feminine character he is playing rather than being it. That he's lots of fun and a super mugger with great charisma nevertheless undercuts the real sentiment in most of the play. He is a great transvestite, a first-rate farceur, but almost never becomes a person. I found his "I Am What I Am" at the end of Act 1 to be hammy rather than the simple statement it really is. It should pull the audience in, rather than reach out to them.
Grammer is solid. I believe his acting, and he sings well - filling his role with real emotion. It's a star performance. The chorus, with great zany choreography by Lynne Page, is a camp delight, totally entertaining. And that seems to be the theme of this production: be totally entertaining. And it is.
Robin De Jesus as a Fairy Queen maid is a delight, and so are Veanne Cox and Fred Applegate, both solidly comic in two roles each. A.J. Shively as the son is good-looking, sweet, charming, sings well, and has just a bit too much "hint of mint" for me for the character to contrast with his "parents." The set by Tim Shortall is terrific, and costumes by Matthew Wright are brilliant- fanciful, exuberant, with great colorful panache. Terry Johnson has directed this non-stop extravaganza with great timing and flair for thecomedic. It is, indeed, a very entertaining show, Hodge is hilarious and will probably win awards, and melodies do stick in my head days afterward.
