The proposed revival of LA CAGE

I never cared for the musical either. Trying to promote acceptance and equality of the gay community by using the worst stereotypes. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so preachy and the score wasn't so sugar-coated. How many times do we have to hear the chorus of The Best of Times? Jerry Herman likes to run one song into the ground in all his shows. If the book and score were revised, I might give it some interest. That, and a fresh new look.

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I don't remember the replacement photo. 1988 was my first trip to Broadway and the original logo was still up in Times Square. Yeah, the show really does treat the relationship with rather sterile kid gloves. A kind of look-at-the-cute-gays! No wonder the theatre-party senior crowds considered themselves liberal by attending the show. There was nothing to suggest passion or desire between the leads. Two men who supposedly love each other, but never touch each other (except to walk arm-in-arm during Snooze....I mean, Song on the Sand). Had the authors NEVER spent a day with a gay couple?

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I thought it was an ok show but, I would much prefre to watch the original French movie.

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A "gritty" Jerry Herman show makes me howl.

To keep the show as it is, yet "gritty," I'd lose the sexless relationship between the men. Make Albin slightly younger, George's "2nd wife," sort of a trophy one, hot in temperament and looks, more of a Hedwig era drag, less beholden to the TORCH SONG style (not to knock that--but we've seen it, yawn). Change Albin's politics accordingly, make him less tolerant of STRAIGHT people, more into his radical drag act, the club he performs in attracting younger gays. Lose all the pastel dinner jackets and bow ties and "poufter" accoutrements. Of course, then you'd have ... TABOO ... with a Jerry Herman score.

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Updated On: 12/15/03 at 06:00 PM

If Harvey re-writes the book, I'd really be excited to see the production. Gary Beach and Dennis O' Hare would be great!

And AIDS. I'm tired of AIDS being in gay material. I loved Falsettos and know that Falsettoland was written during the height of the scare, but we are waaaaay beyond that now.

No drag queens, No AIDS, No Judy, No Liza, No Barbra, No Bette.

There are gay men out there who resemble regular people without all the icons and stereotypes. Something like How to Succeed where Rosemary is actually Robert. Something where the issue of being gay is not actually the focus of the show.

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There are gay men who RESEMBLE Regular people?
That's odd, I always thought I actually was a regular person. How horrible it is to find I only resemble one.

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There would need to be more work done on the book to revive this 1984 musical than anything they did for KISS ME KATE or WONDERFUL TOWN. The appalling Reagan era sensibility about gay people would never play on Broadway in 2004 along side of AVENUE Q, BOY FROM OZ, TAKE ME OUT, TABOO, RENT and CABARET. When I saw this in 1984, aside from being disappointed in the show's timid approach to the story of a middle aged long time gay couple, I was even more disappointed that it was not even funny. I don't think I laughed once. The film versions are problematic but both are much more funny than the musical. Does anyone remember Arthur Laurents and Jerry Herman giving interviews saying they were counting on Harvey for advice on the gay issues? Like they knew nothing about being gay???? Another reason not to like the show.