Posted: 6/19/26 at 12:03am
Fair enough but the best of times also weren't when the original production ran during the AIDS crisis, the message of the song is simply to make the most of the moment you have with the people you love. That's why it's the encore.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 12:09am
Scarywarhol said: "Fair enough but the best of times also weren't when the original production ran during the AIDS crisis, the message of the songis simply to make the most of the moment you have with the people you love. That's why it's the encore."
I know I just don’t particularly like it. Maybe I’m a cynic..:For me I feel like I am What I am would’ve been the more interesting choice. Like the entire ensemble singing “it’s time to open up your closet” seems like a good way to send the audience off.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 12:16am
But I do want to add that I thought Wayne Brady was pretty great.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 1:18am
Ensemble1698878795 said: "TheatreFan4 said: "So... I'm a bit confused after watching the little promo video they put out. Does this still take place in the French Riviera, because I feel things like the Eartha Kitt Catwoman reference is a little weirdly American? And why did they modernise it with their references so they could include Beyonce? I feel like La Cage echos a time long ago that it feels misplaced to try and bring it to today so literally...
Like I know the message of La Cage is still relevant (especially now), but I feel like that's still apparent without dragging the actual plot to today."
You won't be confused when you see it. It's a big swing. It makes sense in the context of what Robert is doing."
It didn't make a lot of sense to me. It is set in a total time warp- the Cagelles are styled as iconic Black female performers from the last century, from Bessie Smith to Rihanna (Josephine Baker is oddly absent, considering the setting). Georges and Albin's apartment is entirely 80s references (including costume pieces from the original production of La Cage). Lines about not wanting to show affection in public are retained. Georges uses a Razr flip phone, which Porter (at least in the dress rehearsal) calls an antique.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 01:18 AM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 1:25am
bwayobsessed said: "In Best of times I was hyper aware of how often they repeated the same lyric. I also don’t think having it be the encore really works. Like the best of times are not now lol"
I wonder if there's possibly a disconnect on how you're interpreting the lyric? e.g., you wrote "the best of times are not now". I think (maybe?) you're interpretation of "now" is too general.
When Herman uses the word, "now" I think he's being specific. I don't think he means a generic span of time (like days, weeks, months or years), but rather each singular moment.
It's how we cherish and celebrate each individual moment that constitutes and literally creates "the best of times".
He excludes what "now" is not:
"Now, not some forgotten yesterday.
Now, tomorrow is too far away."
...and what we should do with each moment:
"So hold this moment fast,
And live and love
As hard as you know how.
And make this moment last,
Because the best of times is now,
Is now, is now."
I love that repetition of the lyric. To my mind, it's not just repeated for emphasis.
I see it as a representation of the passage of time - "now", followed immediately by a brand new "now", and then another. ...and we should make the most of each individual "now"; treat each as something fresh and new as they come along.
I'm not saying that's what Herman intended. It's my interpretation.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 01:25 AM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 7:31am
‘La Cage aux Folles’ Review: When the In-Laws Come to Call
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/theater/la-cage-aux-folles-review-porter-brady.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rVA.TQN4.eMbNrqxlg3bz&smid=nytcore-android-share
Posted: 6/19/26 at 8:13am
John Adams said: "bwayobsessed said: "In Best of times I was hyper aware of how often they repeated the same lyric. I also don’t think having it be the encore really works. Like the best of times are not now lol"
I wonder if there's possibly a disconnect on how you're interpreting the lyric? e.g., you wrote "the best of times are not now". I think (maybe?) you're interpretation of "now" is too general.
When Herman uses the word, "now" I think he's being specific. I don't think he means a generic span of time (like days, weeks, months or years), but rather eachsingularmoment.
It's how we cherish and celebrate each individual moment thatconstitutes and literally creates "the best of times".
He excludes what "now" is not:
"Now, not some forgotten yesterday.
Now, tomorrow is too far away."
...and what we should do with each moment:
"So hold this moment fast,
And live and love
As hard as you know how.
And make this moment last,
Because the best of times is now,
Is now, is now."
I love that repetition of the lyric. To my mind, it's not just repeated for emphasis.
I see it as a representation of the passage of time - "now", followed immediately by a brandnew"now", and then another. ...and we should make the most of each individual "now"; treat each as something fresh and new as they come along.
I'm not saying that's what Herman intended. It's my interpretation."
I think you are probably right especially since you have the relevant quotes to back you up. I didn’t get that nuance on first viewing.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 9:52am
You know, we all take turns having a production where we write something eyerollingly corny like "Is it perfect? No. Does it have problems? Of course. Did I have a great time? Yes."
I think Encores! would do well to strip back to music stands and do an expectation readjustment after next season because the most unfortunate thing here is the desire to present a fully-cooked "concept" revival in a very undercooked setting. Cats kind of ate its lunch, too, in a production that made its choice feel clearer because the leap is so much wider. I think great to cast with intention in whatever direction, but they did not have time to quite find the bigger cultural reframing they seemed to be reaching for here beyond that.
However, I was smiling throughout! It was funnier than other La Cages I've seen, it was sweet, I loved hearing the orchestra. Some of the songs came off better than others. Loved seeing Wayne Brady kind of come into himself as an out performer in a new way. James Jackson Jr. was a hoot, especially kicking those bags across the stage. Billy had big ups and sometimes downs. I was sitting in the balcony which may have actually helped modulate his performance perfectly. But when he was good, I thought he was very good indeed! His "I Am What I Am" was exciting and relatively restrained, his comedy especially in the second act went over well and got some belly laughs. I saw his Albin's weariness and fragility, too. Yes, Billy Porter is A Lot, seemingly a lot of attention-hungry theatricality covering a lot of neuroses and perhaps waning technical ability--Is this not the character? The title song was his low point, seemingly just unrehearsed, but thankfully that's my least favorite in the show.
I understand the criticisms of the production and think many are valid. This is not the unqualified home run that MACK AND MABEL and DEAR WORLD were for me in recent years. But I felt like it was still LA CAGE and still a very fun night out to get to see this with a packed City Center during Pride during a very troubled and troubling time, with Harvey still here to record a curtain announcement as a cherry on top.
During the last revival, I was still basically a kid figuring myself out. During this production, I got to squeeze my partner's hand during "Song on the Sand." Perhaps it is not possible for me to be objective, perhaps I don't care to be.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 09:52 AM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 10:21am
THE WRAP
"The truly surprising thing about the new revival of “La Cage aux Folles” with Encores! is that it’s directed by Robert O’Hara, best known for bringing such cutting-edge works as “Slave Play,” “Bootycandy” and “Barbecue” to the stage.
Maybe O’Hara needed a vacation. His “La Cage,” which opened Wednesday at the New York City Center, is anything but cutting edge. David Merrick recast “Hello, Dolly!” with an all-Black ensemble led by Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway way back in 1967. Nearly six decades later, there’s nothing that novel now about seeing Billy Porter and Wayne Brady in roles first performed by George Hearn and Gene Barry, and played on Broadway most recently by Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer.
What takes a while to catch fire is the story itself. You simply want to slap Georges' son, Jean-Michel (Alaman Diadhiou), for not wanting to introduce Albin to his bigoted future in-laws (Peter Francis James and Sharon Washington). Speaking of introductions, Fierstein's book leads us to believe at the top of the show that Jean-Michel is Georges' secret trick. What was sort of ooh-la-la in the 1978 movie and the 1973 play by Jean Poiret (the source material for this musical) is kind of icky as presented here.
O'Hara's direction has also messed a little with Les Cagelles. Rather than a uniform group of dancers à la The Rockettes, each performer appears to be channeling either Mariah Carey or Rihanna or Madonna or Grace Jones or Sylvester. It's no wonder that Edgar Godineaux's choreography has trouble handling that herd of impersonators."
https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/theater/la-cage-aux-folles-off-broadway-review-billy-porter-wayne-brady/
Posted: 6/19/26 at 10:37am
Oh one other positive that may seem like faint praise but isn't for anyone who was at BAT BOY, WILD PARTY, or some of their other recent productions: the sound was fully intelligible even in the balcony.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 10:37am
Scarywarhol said: "I think Encores! would do well to strip back to music stands and do an expectation readjustment after next season because the most unfortunate thing here is the desire to present a fully-cooked "concept" revival in a very undercooked setting."
I wholeheartedly agree.
When an overabundance of information - i.e., "a fully-cooked 'concept'" is presented, the viewers' imaginations (including those of potential producers) become constrained to what's in front of them.
e.g., I happen to like the idea of having the Cagelles styled as iconic Black female performers from the last century, but (if I've understood Kad's post properly), it appears to have been executed poorly, creating (for Kad) a sense of being "set in a total time warp".
Less is more. IMO, Encores could go back to being more "inspirational", rather than "representational".
PS: I really wanted an all-Black version of La Cage to be successful. I'm disappointed to read so many thoughts indicating what a let-down it appears to be.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 10:37 AM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 10:50am
Yes this takes place somewhere and everywhere between 1983 and 2026.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 11:00am
John Adams said: "Scarywarhol said: "I think Encores! would do well to strip back to music stands and do an expectation readjustment after next season because the most unfortunate thing here is the desire to present a fully-cooked "concept" revival in a very undercooked setting."
I wholeheartedly agree.
When an overabundance of information - i.e., "a fully-cooked 'concept'"is presented, the viewers' imaginations (including those of potential producers) become constrained to what's in front of them.
e.g., I happen to like the idea of having the Cagellesstyled as iconic Black female performers from the last century, but (if I've understood Kad's post properly), it appears to have been executed poorly, creating (for Kad) a sense of being "set in a total time warp"."
You did (though I should've said "last hundred years" rather than "last century"- the performers referenced range from the 1920s to the 2020s with I believe Rihanna's Superbowl performance being the most recent reference). I liked that concept, too- but then having extremely contemporary references just didn't jibe with the text as written or the rest of the production. And it also begged the question: what point is being made by such a deliberate choice? And then, of course, the Cagelles' acts as written aren't celebrity impersonation or commentary at all, so you now have Hanna from Hamburg styled as 1960s Aretha Franklin, referring to the whip and dominatrix act but not doing it (a baffling choice considering there's a Cagelle styled as Eartha Kitt as Catwoman!)
I also agree that Encores is really not the venue for these conceptual or re-imagined takes on material. There's a world in which a fully developed Robert O'Hara's take on La Cage could be very successful, one that has given the production a full rehearsal process and budget.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 11:00 AM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 11:17am
Kad said: "I also agree that Encores is really not the venue for these conceptual or re-imagined takes on material. "
It's such a shame... And I'm sure it's a rough row to hoe (finding that correct balance on where to draw the lines), but by exercising restraint, this thread might read completely differently - including the (IMO, unnecessary) criticisms of actors who have book-in-hand.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 11:17 AM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 11:23am
After these reviews, I wonder if we see Brady or Porter call out next week?
Posted: 6/19/26 at 11:38am
ACL2006 said: "After these reviews, I wonder if we see Brady or Porter call out next week?"
That's (I feel) a commentary expressing doubt in re: to their professionalism. I have confidence in them.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 11:44am
The critics have been pretty positive for them both (Porter’s vocals aside) so I don’t see why they’d call out.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 12:16pm
Kad said: "The critics have been pretty positive for them both (Porter’s vocals aside) so I don’t see why they’d call out."
If this type of word-of-mouth didn’t keep Jessica Vosk from showing up for BEACHES and Kristin Chenoweth for QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, Porter and Brady are fine. They’re big boys. They’ve been thru worse.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 12:40pm
PS:I really wanted an all-Black version of La Cage to be successful. I'm disappointed to read so many thoughts indicating what a let-down it appears to be."
Honestly I don't think there's any all-Black version of La Cage that would appease the masses. Part of the issue when sliding Black culture into these adored revivals is there's always a tight clinch to what was and what "should be." In a 14 day process people are expecting a presentation full of sheen and perfection, when this show requires a lot more dancing and staging than an ITW or Parade does.
An all Black version may never speak to a predominately white audience and that will always be the problem. Hence why things like Cats still struggle at the box office - though it is well regarded.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 12:47pm
ACL2006 said: "After these reviews, I wonder if we see Brady or Porter call out next week?"
And even if they do, Anthony Wayne is the standby for both and he is a very versatile talent in this own right. (He recently stood by for Dulé Hill and Daniel J. Watts in the Nat King Cole play)
Posted: 6/19/26 at 2:43pm
It would also require O'Hara to do the work -- something that was not done prior to or during this process - on his end. That's evident in concept, staging and now reviews.
I had high hopes for this idea, my did it disappoint.
Updated On: 6/19/26 at 02:43 PM
Posted: 6/19/26 at 4:05pm
There have been other Encore shows where leads have carried books and it has not faced as much criticism as this production seems to be getting on this board. So it makes me think that this is more about the production in general. I was thinking of getting a ticket but now I’m not so sure. I have a feeling I might be huffing and sighing through. It.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 5:18pm
UWS10023 said: "There have been other Encore shows where leads have carried books and it has not faced as much criticism as this production seems to be getting on this board. So it makes me think that this is more about the production in general. I was thinking of getting a ticket but now I’m not so sure. I have a feeling I might be huffing and sighing through. It."
Billy was not solely dependent on the script on Opening night. He knew 85% of show for sure. Don’t let a board of haters deter you from checking this out. It’s not perfect by any means. I dunno when we started expecting Encores to be a Broadway show.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 5:30pm
Ensemble1698878795 said: "I dunno when we started expecting Encores to be a Broadway show."
Probably when Encores began staging them closer to a traditional Broadway show and almost every performer appeared without a binder in their hands. Over time, a different expectation began to be more common even though it is not universal.
Posted: 6/19/26 at 5:41pm
Yes, the fact that Encores can swing from something like The Wild Party, which was essentially a fully-staged, largely realized production, straight to La Cage, which is not at that level, is kind of an issue for audience expectations.
