In case you missed it. This article was previously published on StratfordToday.
Steve Ross, playing the drag queen Albin in Stratford Festival’s upcoming production of La Cage Aux Folles, came to the first meet-and-greet rehearsal dressed to the nines and in heels.
As he told StratfordToday, that was a first for him.
“I’ve never done a dress up on the first day, this is the director’s idea,” Ross said. “So let’s kick it off with the right foot.”
The rehearsal was the first time the whole cast and crew gathered and got a glimpse of La Cage Aux Folles, and director Thom Allison was thrilled.
“What I love about this sort of thing, is you end up with people that you've known for 30 years, over 20 years, over 10 years, some you met last week, some you are meeting today … So it's kind of Old Home Week but it's also this wonderful sense of meeting new people who are going to be new friends.”
Cast members got acquainted with each other, saw parts of the set, designs for what they get to wear on stage, and were introduced formally to the world of La Cage Aux Folles.
The musical follows Georges, the manager of a drag club in St. Tropez, whose son is marrying into an ultra-conservative family. Deciding to “play it straight” with Albin, the star of the show and Georges’ partner, when the soon-to-be in-laws come visiting, the ruse only makes it so far, with an ensuing clash, revelation, and consequences bubbling up to the surface.
Allison said the play invites people onto their feet from act one until the end, and to embrace the things they love.
This particular production takes heavy inspiration from Carol Burnett.
That sentiment was reiterated by Brandon Kleiman, the set designer, and David Boechler, the costume designer.
As the cast gathered in a circle around inspirational photos and mock-ups, Kleiman went through the set, its various evolutions as the show progresses, and what inspired him.
“My goal is to make this just the gayest thing possible,” Kleiman said. “It has to be this beautiful, gay beacon out into the world.”
The sets and the costumes for this production were heavily inspired by Burnett and the plethora of variety shows in the 70s, such as Mitzi Gaynor.
Boechler said that the drag aspect of this production was a little daunting, considering he didn’t know much about that world, but with Allison, who is well-versed, the team was able to put its own spin on it - to represent the world of drag before Drag Race.
Sean Arbuckle, who plays Georges, said that at first he was not familiar with the play, other than it was a famous and important show in the 80s.
“But I knew it was about two middle aged gay men. And I thought, ‘Well, I'm a middle aged gay man in the company, I should be looking like this. And then once I read it and really listened to it, I understood why it was so important.”
Arbuckle described the show as one which is really about the families, how complicated, how moving, and how relatable they are - pun intended.
“The show is a giant, fabulous drag show,” Ross said. “But at its core, it's about two gay men who have been married for 20 years and run a family business.”
La Cage Aux Folles begins previews at the Avon Theatre starting on May 6. It will run until the end of October.
