Tim Sheader’s revival of the 1983 musical about a gay nightclub owner and his drag queen partner is a total joy. Ryan Dawson Laight’s costumes dazzle; one skirt has its own set of wheels, another its own set of legs. Stephen Mear’s choreography is slick but – even better – very funny. Harvey Fierstein’s witty book still crackles 40 years on from the Broadway premiere and Jerry Herman’s heartfelt score (so pure and romantic) seduces us all.
Yet what is most striking about this memorable production, led by an all-queer creative team, is how authentic and truthful it feels. This is a show that has taken Herman’s astute lyric “what we are is an illusion” utterly to heart. La Cage aux Folles – a popular 70s St Tropez nightclub that has seen better days – is a little raggedy around the edges. Gold fades to green. Shrubs creep through the cracked windows. The singers pant and groan at the end of their big numbers and, when they’re done, watch the action from the wings. They’re bored, tired, perhaps a little lonely.
