A little more mascara, a lot more of your own Thursday headlines

 

Courtesy Playbill.

This week's Notable Opening Night is Aug. 21, 1983, when La Cage aux Folles opened at the Palace Theatre.

"Uh-huh, how many tickets, dear? Seven? For what, Cats, 42nd Street, what? You wouldn't like La Cage, trust me. Trust me, I know. Oh for God's sake, hold. ... Babydoll, seven for Cats or something. Anything hard to get, I don't really give a fuck, neither will they. ... You've seen La Cage aux Folles? Ah, fabulous. It's the best thing on Broadway, maybe ever."

-- Roy Cohn, arranging a night out in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches

I wonder how Jerry Herman, Harvey Fierstein or Arthur Laurents, La Cage aux Folles' "collabortionists," felt about their musical being presented as an evil man's favorite. Was it less awkward than the response when La Cage was revived in 2004? "The tuner shows its 21 years of age and then some," Variety said. In time for another revival in 2010, Ben Brantley of the New York Times said the show's plot "is still hard to swallow without gagging, as are some of Mr. Herman's saccharine-crusted numbers." La Cage is receiving an Encores! production next year. I know we'll all be on the edge of our seats waiting to read the newest backhanded tributes.

Yes, Sunday in the Park with George should have won the Tony for Best Musical. And Best Original Score. And maybe Best Lead Actor in a Musical. But it didn't. La Cage won all of those awards, plus for its book, direction, and costumes. George Hearn, who played Albin, a celebrated drag queen who puts his talent to the test for his stepson's sake, won over costar Gene Barry, who played clubowner Georges.

Courtesy YouTube.

La Cage "set back the cause of homosexuality by light years," UPI Lively Arts Editor Glenne Currie declared. Fierstein and Laurents "trotted out all the insensitive cliches about homosexuals known to man." Frank Rich had kinder words, but he was still pretty disappointed. "In its eagerness to please all comers, this musical is sometimes as shamelessly calculating as a candidate for public office," Rich wrote. Harvey got the worst from Frank: "(He) has misplaced his craftsmanship and bite on this outing. ... There is a homogenized, sitcom tone to the script, which suggests that Mr. Fierstein is pandering to what he apparently regards as a squeamish Broadway musical audience." Rich also shaded Laurents: "(His) direction is fast-paced, stunt-laden, and knowing. (Sometimes what it knows is Jerome Robbins' immortal staging of Gypsy, for which Mr. Laurents wrote the book.)"

On the other hand, Rich loved Hearn & Barry. "You simply won't be able to get enough of these performers, or of the Jerry Herman songs that accompany their more tender self-expressions." La Cage aux Folles' original Broadway run lasted for just over four years, with George and Gene succeeded by, among others, Walter Charles, Keene Curtis, Peter Marshall, and Van Johnson. The 2004 revival was led by Gary Beach, who acted opposite Daniel Davis, then Robert Goulet. The 2010 revival had Douglas Hodge opposite Kelsey Grammer.

Courtesy YouTube.

I realize that I've made it this far without describing much of the plot. Then again, I assume most of us have seen or at least know the plot to The Birdcage, right? Okay, quickly ... Albin and Georges are longtime partners. Before meeting Albin, Georges fathered a son, Jean-Michel, who's now engaged to Anne, the daughter of a homophobic politician. Jean-Michel's lied about his background, but really, really loves his bride to be, so Georges feels obligated to closet himself at least for a night. But what to do about Albin? After rehearsing as "Uncle Al," Albin ends up posing as Jean-Michel's mother. All goes well, and Albin even performs a number for the in-laws, until he forgets himself and snatches his own wig.

Look, you either go with it or you don't. For better or for worse, La Cage aux Folles was a hit show, one of only five American-made 1980s Broadway musicals to run for 1,000 or more performances. The others are 42nd Street, Dreamgirls, Big River, and Grand Hotel. At the risk of sounding patronizing, when it comes to shows like La Cage, I always figure, "Well, if it inspires at least one young person ..."

I think I timed it right, but if not, jump to 40:47. Courtesy YouTube.

Also opening on this date:

Song of Norway, which opened at the Imperial in 1944 and closed just over two years later at the Broadway. George Forrest and Robert Wright (Kismet, Grand Hotel) made their Broadway debuts adapting the life and music of Edvard Grieg. The operetta received a belated, failed film version in 1970.

Courtesy YouTube.

Rags, which opened at the Mark Hellinger in 1986 and closed two days later. Charles Strouse and Stephen Schwartz teamed up with Joseph Stein, who previously wrote the book to Fiddler on the Roof. This time around, the tsuris takes place in New York's Lower East Side. Rags was nominated for five Tonys -- Best Musical, Original Score, Book, Lead Actress in a Musical (Teresa Stratas), and Choreography (Ron Field), losing the first three to Les Misérables and the last two to Me and My Girl.

Courtesy YouTube.

Next week, it's back to school at Atwater College.