Another (longer) LA CAGE review from Another Matt- 11/11

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 4:37am

I too was lucky enough to be among the very first to witness a performance of what is easily the best revival in years and very possibly the best thing on Broadway right now.

Unlike many, I have seen a very good production of this Herman musical before, and for that reason was a little worried that I was in for a bit of a disappointment tonight due to this fact and the great expectations I had allowed to build since this revival was first announced. Let me just say that every expectation was fulfilled and most were greatly exceeded. This revival, my friends, is what Broadway musical theatre is all about and I can only pray that it does well and sticks around if only to inspire other producers to raise the bar.

My Main Reactions:

THE DESIGN
The sets and costumes are absolutely ravishing. William Ivey Long is a shoo-in for another Tony this year, and I'd say the lights and sets stand a very good chance. Everything moves seamlessly between the decadent stage designs within the nightclub, the living quarters of Georges/Albin, and the streets of St Tropez where we see such memorable numbers as "Song On The Sand" and "Masculinity" come to life in front of a gorgeously-lit pier and ocean backdrop. Everything seemed to go very well tonight. There WAS a tech stall after the 1st song, which stopped the show for maybe 10 minutes, but it came at a good time and the audience was very understanding.

SOME OF THE CAST HIGHLIGHTS
Gary Beach- perfect. absolutely perfect in every aspect of the character. funny, heartbreaking, powerful performance. sung beautifully with effortless clarity on the higher notes and midrange. struggled a bit on some of the low notes, but we can't all be George Hearn now, can we? he more than made up for it with an all-around wonderful voice and onstage persona of ideal size.

Daniel Davis- a pleasant surprise for me. I've never been a huge fan of his previous work, and I've never really enjoyed Georges' character or musical numbers- until tonight. He was simply stellar in the role, reliably carrying many scenes and setting the perfect pace for the show. He provided the perfect anchor to balance with Gary's high-flying manic intensity, also chiming in with many a perfectly delivered punchline when appropriate. All in all, the chemistry between the 2 men was what kept me emotionally invested in the plot, especially impressive considering this was their first time in front of a paying audience. He sang his two ballads beautifully and was similarly impressive in his uptempo comic turns. While this is definitely Albin's show, Davis gives us a Georges who is very clearly the foundation of it all.

Gavin- managed to do quite a lot with the character. He did a good job of making Jean-Michel likable and avoided seeming overly whiny and spoiled, a harder feat than it would seem. Of course he sang beautifully and left us all wishing he had just one more song. A real doll at stage door too, a genuinely nice fella. He even apologized for the tech stall!

Les Cagelles- there are simply no words for how impressive these men were. GO SEE THIS SHOW if for no other reason than to see these guys dancing in ways no male should be able to (not as dirty as it sounds). whether flying through the air, kicking higher than the gods themselves, tap dancing, or leaping over the pit and landing in the splits, the dancing ensemble left us all in awe and jealousy for the next few hours.

THE NUMBERS
I really can't think of a single song that was wasted in this new staging by the magnificent Jerrys (Zaks and Mitchell). With the dance numbers among the most impressive I've ever seen, several of the more understated songs were properly, well, understated. "Look Over There" is basically Davis standing in one place for 3 minutes, but it works perfectly because he is a performer who can sell it. The high point for me was "The Best of Times". It's never been my favorite song, but it has also never sounded or looked better. I've admittedly been rather exhausted and snippy lately, but this number was honestly one of those moments in a theatre that makes you happy to be alive, and I think it had that effect on a lot of the audience.

STAGE DOOR
Waited at stage door to do a little celebrity worship, as I like to do. From the cast, I got to meet Gavin and Daniel early on. Both were lovely. After this, there was maybe another 30 minutes, and still no sign of Gary Beach. It was close to midnight by now and everyone was starting to wonder what was taking so long, then out came Harvey Fierstein, who graciously signed autographs and accepted congratulations for landing TEVYE. Another 10 minutes passed, and still no Gary. Then finally he emerged with none other than Jerry Herman. Both were incredibly sweet to the star struck stragglers still waiting, signing and posing for photos for quite awhile. It was an amazing thrill to meet Jerry Herman, who seemed in quite good health and very high spirits.

I took pictures:

Me and Gavin-
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=3011

Me, dramafreak13, and Daniel Davis
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=3012

Me and Gary Beach
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=3013

Me, dramafreak13, and Jerry Herman
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=3014

I'm sure I could go on forever about this LA CAGE, so I'll just say, if you can, go see it. There are tickets as cheap as $25, and the theatre is quite small so even those seats provide an excellent view. This is a very good thing for Broadway, and I'm happy to have been there to see it take off.

Updated On: 11/14/04 at 04:37 AM

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 6:03am

Thanks so much for the review. I am VERY much looking forward to this production. How can you pass up a chance to see Gavin Creel and Gary Beach on the same stage?? And there is a reason that William Ivey Long is one of my favorite designers EVER.He always does wonderful work, and unlike many designers -- where no matter what show it is, the costumes always seem to have certain characteristics in EVERY project -- Long's costumes always blend seamlessly.

[mominator]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 6:24am

Seeing it tonight! Thanks for the review.

Posted: 11/12/04 at 9:48am

WOW. What a gr8 review and amazing pics. THNX so much.

Posted: 11/12/04 at 10:28am

Where were your seats??? Great review! Thanks!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 10:44am

How was "I Am What I Am?"

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 10:54am

Hey Matt, thanks for the review and for the pics.

BTW, I was suprised by how you looked in the photo--I had assumed you were like, 50!

And who is that lovely young lady that was with you? Quite a cutie!

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 10:58am

Could someone please mention Ruthie Williamson? I'd really like to know something about her performance.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 11:20am

Sounds like a winner! I've seen a decent production of the show, but was not too impressed. It sounds like another revival could possibly outshine its original. When it was announced that La Cage was to be revived, I pretty much shrugged it off, but now I'm looking forward to seeing it. If it keeps on track, I've no doubt it will have a lengthy run.

[morosco]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 11:21am

What an amazing experience you guys had! Hooray for you!!

[TGIF]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 11:22am

Thanks for the wonderful review. I am such a detail whore and love reading long reviews! Sounds like the show is off to a great start. I will have to check this out.

[little_sally]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 11:38am

Great review! I have tickets to the show for next Sunday and if I couldn't already wait, your review has got me much more excited about it.

[dramafreak13]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 11:45am

The one in the picture is me, broadwaymatt and I acutally went to high school together in california. I agree with everything Matt says, the show was amazing. And meeting Jerry Herman was one of the highest points of my life. And Redhot- Ruthie was very good, I met her outside the stage door afterwards and talked with her about Smile (I was in a production of it last year) She was very gracious and nice. Such a great night overall, go see the show!!

[graphictype]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 12:48pm

Thanks for the review - this will be on my list of shows to see on my next trip.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 12:54pm

Great review! and awesome pictures. How is the marquee theatre now after the renovations? Is there a big differance from its TMM days?

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 3:43pm

Matt, you are a real cutie patootie. I have to wait until May to see this show.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 3:50pm

Such a great review, Matt!

I'm seeing it on December 17th, I can't wait!!!

Posted: 11/12/04 at 7:19pm

Matt----great, great review and photos! I have tix to see La Cage on 12/27 and May 10th (couldn't wait till May, so I got 'em for Dec., too!) You mentioned it's a small theater, so how is row K or L, center? (I have row K one time and row L the next). (I saw the original and loved it---never stopped listening to the album/CD --- now to see it again with such an incredible cast----well, I just can't wait!)

[Phantom2]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 5:16pm

Great pictures. Gavin is wearing a nice scarf. Take note of that BwayTheatre11, I read you were looking for a scarf!

[susanaq27]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 8:59pm

OMG~ I am sooo excited!!!!! I am going to see the show in December~ Christmas present for the family~ On December 26th~Thanks for the review!
Sue

[WiCkEd4LyFfE]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 10:06pm

great review!

[Ruth Sherwood]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 10:20pm

I too am curious to know how "I Am What I Am" was. Anyway, Thanks for the review!

[Plum]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 11:11pm

*counts pennies*

Now I kinda sorta wanna see this. You do realize I'm on a limited budget here, don't you?

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 11:42pm

Um...Matt? Lub-dud-lub-dub. You and Gavin's pic = drool. You guys are such cuties!

Updated On: 11/14/04 at 11:42 PM

[saddle shoe side kick]

Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:51pm

I'm really glad my family already has tickets for this becaue it looks like it's gonna be a huge hit :) Once word of mouth really starts getting around it'll probably be very hard to get tickets.