Photos

1st Night Photos: Chocolate Folles Finally Opens

Editorial Staff
London's West End

Though beset by all manner of bugs and bad luck over the past two months, the company of La Cage Aux Folles – led by Philip Quast and Douglas Hodge as gay couple Georges and Albin – were in rude health and high spirits last night (9 January 2008) as the revival at last officially opened at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark.

Though running since the end of November, the press performance was rescheduled twice. Originally due to open on 3 December 2007 (previews from 23 November), La Cage’s first press night was cancelled after rehearsals were thrown into disarray because of flu running rampant through the company. A second press night arranged for 13 December was then axed as star Douglas Hodge continued to recover from a serious chest infection (See News, 28 Nov 2007). Last week, another postponement was feared when four members of the ensemble fell ill and two more performances were called off (See News, 4 Jan 2008).

In total, to date, five performances (three of them previews) have been cancelled due to actors’ indisposition. A sixth pre-Christmas performance was pulled following a power cut in the Southwark area. The musical’s limited season concludes on 8 March 2008.

Based on the 1973 French play by Jean Poiret and subsequent 1978 French-Italian screen version, the musical focuses on a gay couple – George (played by Philip Quast), the manager of a St Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his star attraction (Douglas Hodge) – and the adventures that ensue when George’s son brings home his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents to meet them.


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For 1st Night Photos, our Whatsonstage.com photographer Dan Wooller was on hand for the La Cage Aux Folles curtain call and post-show drinks at the Menier Chocolate Factory along with the company. In addition to Quast and Hodge, the cast features Tara Hugo, Neil McDermott, Jason Pennycooke, Iain Mitchell, Una Stubbs, Alicia Davies and Spencer Stafford, who performed the role of Albin in Hodge’s absence. La Cage Aux Folles is directed by Terry Johnson and designed by David Farley, with costumes by Matthew Wright, lighting by David Howe, orchestration by Jason Carr and musical direction by Nigel Lilley.

La Cage Aux Folles has a book by Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy) and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, whose other classics include Hello Dolly!, Mame and Mack and Mabel. The score features songs including “I Am What I Am”, “The Best of Times”, “Song on the Sand”, “Masculinity” and the title number.

On Broadway, La Cage Aux Folles clocked up over 1,500 performances in its premiere season – when it also won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score – and had a brief revival in 2004. In London, it had a run at the London Palladium in 1986. The stage show also inspired the 1996 Hollywood film The Birdcage, which relocated the action to Miami where Nathan Lane and Robin Williams starred.

– by Terri Paddock