We had the pleasure of being invited to the opening night of the legendary ‘La Cage aux Folles’ at Sydney’s gorgeous State Theatre.
Opening on Broadway in 1983, this musical broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship.
While we’d never seen a production of the show before, we were familiar with the story – via the brilliant Robin Williams and Nathan Lane film ‘The Birdcage’ which is based on the plot.
And it goes without saying that everyone knows the Queer anthem, ‘I Am What I Am’ – which has been covered by everyone from Gloria Gaynor to Shirley Bassey, and is a staple midnight show at the Sydney Mardi Gras after party.
Winner of 11 Broadway Tony Awards, this rollicking romping musical was back in Sydney for an exclusive limited season, so we couldn’t miss it.
The production starred five-time Helpmann Award winner Paul Capsis (Cabaret The Musical, Head-On) in the role of Albin and Michael Cormick (The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast) as Georges his partner with an all-star cast including Zoe Ventoura (Packed To The Rafters, Home and Away), Anthony Brandon Wong (Matrix Reloaded, The Family Law), and Lucia Mastrantone (Looking For Alibrandi, The Harp in the South).
Based on the 1973 French play of the same name, the Broadway adaptation was written by the iconic Harvey Fierstein (who wrote the book of several our favs – Kinky Boots, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies) while the music is from legendary composer Jerry Herman (Hello Dolly, Mame).
This was an all singing, all dancing, all laughing journey to the night life of St Tropez in the south of France. A timeless and enduring story of love, commitment, family, and acceptance. And the opening night audience ate it up. Bravo!
