October London Trip/La Cage

I am coming over from the States in October. I want to see La Cage, but I don't know anything about the cast. Will it still have a strong cast in October or should I just wait to see it when it is in New York?

Also, has "The Woman in Black" held up well or should I stay clear of it?

Thanks!

Updated On: 8/17/09 at 04:03 PM

I'm seeing it in October with John Barrowman, but the current cast is a strong one with Olivier award winning actors in both leads. I'd prefer to see the current cast but couldn't match diary dates with friends.

trevytoe: The whole cast will have changed by October. No-one can really say yet whether it will be a strong cast, as we don't know who they will be yet - though as Weez said, many people have made their mind up about the new Albin, John Barrowman (I'm not a fan). In addition to him, Simon Burke is playing Georges and Gabriel Vick is apparently the new Jean-Michel (I think Gabriel is fab, but I can't really imagine that casting working very well).

CONAries: I don't think Barrowman's "I Am What I Am" is anything special at all, actually. He gets the basic idea of the song across, but no more than that, and he doesn't really have a strong enough voice to make up for it - I know a lot of people really like him as a singer, but I find his voice very thin and reedy. This wouldn't matter if he could act the song - Douglas Hodge has quite a weak voice as well, and Roger Allam had serious trouble staying on key, but it didn't matter because I believed they meant what they were singing. I never get that with Barrowman.

Going back to the current cast: it's interesting, because unlike with Hodge/Lawson, with Allam/Quast it almost seems like Georges in the lead role and Albin the supporting part - Georges is the sane one at the centre of it all, trying to cope with his temperamental partner, selfish son, crazy butler and nightmare inlaws, whereas previously it always seemed to me like Georges was just the "straight man" (so to speak) to the lead, Albin. The current cast as a whole is going to be difficult to beat - they're not all perfect, but they work so well together.

I've seen this La Cage with each of the main actor pairings and have always felt it to be centered on Georges - and rather like it.

As far as must-sees in October? War Horse, An Inspector Calls, Sister Act, and Mother Courage. Great season for plays coming up...

I'm going to miss Roger and Philip so much when they leave. Actually I'm not, 'cos I'm probably not going to see the show again, but I'll still be sad! Frapperia, how was Roger Allam's singing when you saw him? He's always struggled a bit with the tuning on his solos when I've seen him - I think he may have difficulty hearing the orchestra, because when he's singing with the ensemble his tuning was fine. Not that it really matters - his singing was quite bad first time I saw him, but he acted it so well that I didn't mind at all. And Philip Quast makes up for any vocal weaknesses - "Song on the Sand" has stopped the show every time I've seen it. That last note... wow! And PQ is just so much fun as the host of the club, too. I'm glad I saw Denis Lawson first, actually, because I really enjoyed his performance and was surprised by some of the criticism he received, but having seen Quast now I can see why people who had seen it at the Menier were disappointed with Lawson. He was good, but Quast brings so much more to the role.

Agreed about Ben Bunce, one of my favourite Cagelles along with Dane Quixall. Nolan Frederick's role as Chantal is rather strange, though. Not sure what they were going for with that. And now that I've finally seen Jason Pennycooke as Jacob (he was out the first three times I went - spread across more than six months!), I can at least agree with everyone who says he's brilliant.

Stuart Neal's been a bit varied the times I've seen him throughout the run, though I think a lot of the problem is with the character - the only downside to this more "real" production is that it shows up just how underwritten some of the supporting roles are, and Jean-Michel is the biggest victim of this. The last few times I've seen it I thought he did a great job, lovely singing voice and as you said much more relaxed, and although he could hardly look more different from Philip Quast (I assume Sybil is very short! ) they worked very well together, as did both with Roger Allam. I'm sure it helps that the three of them in the "family" (Roger, Philip and Stuart) have all worked together before.

Updated On: 8/29/09 at 06:34 AM

trevytoe - If you've never seen An Inspector Calls, GO!

---