"Oh, Helen Keller could tell you're gay!"

La Cage Aux Folles is a show that engages the audience unlike any other. The “fourth wall” is constantly being broken down with every time the actors speak out to us. It’s clear that the performance is one that is put on for us, not one for us to silently observe. It reaches out to speak to everyone in the theater.
La Cage Aux Folles, adapted from a French play, is a musical about Georges (played by George Hamilton) who owns a glitzy night club called La Cage Aux Folles. Georges’ partner Albin (Christopher Sieber) is the star of La Cage, dressed in drag as Zaza. Albin and Georges raised Georges’ son, Jean-Michel, and he brings home his fiancee and her parents, things get complicated.
La Cage showcases so much talent in it, and what stood out to me were the cagelles, the six fabulous drag queens who work at the fictional night club, La Cage. They all looked fantastic, and I had to constantly remind myself that they were in fact men with such great legs and envious dancing skills.

From a technical standpoint, the show went off without a hook. The band was great, and housed onstage, it was a cool aspect to be able to see them playing and interacting with each other and the actors. There were a few prop and microphone mishaps, but for the most part, everything was smooth, which was impressive for opening night in a new theater.
George Hamilton put on a less-than-great performance. At age 72, it’s impressive to see him on stage in such an upbeat show, but his dancing, singing and acting were not up to par. Countering him is Christopher Sieber, whose performance more than made up for Hamilton’s. Sieber portrayed Albin perfectly, and put on an emotional display of character.

The show runs from now until October 23rd at the Historic State Theater in downtown Minneapolis. It’s on the perfect stage for it, not as large as the Orpheum across the street, but not too small either. If you love shows with glitz and glamour and a lot of heart, this show is for you.