Review: Pioneer Theatre Company's LA CAGE AUX FOLLES in Concert Glistens

In the concert production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Pioneer Theatre Company, tears glisten as often as the sequins.

Pioneer Theatre Company has done it again with another thoroughly enjoyable concert production, and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is just the type of show that this scripts-in-hand concert style is designed to showcase. It is a joy to experience less-often-performed works in this kind of atmosphere that is filled with raw energy that compensates for any minor rough edges.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman) is based on the play by Jean Poiret. Set in France in the 1980s, it is both a family drama and a situational comedy. Jean-Michel wants to bring home his fiancé, Anne, and her conservative parents to meet his family, but he is ashamed of the fact that his mother left him when he was a child and that he was raised by two fathers who own a successful drag club. He asks them to keep the true nature of their circumstances hidden in order to earn the approval of his future father-in-law.

The tuneful score of this gem, with hints of melancholy, glistens just as brightly as Jerry Herman's well-known classic HELLO DOLLY. Meant to touch your heart as much as your funny bone, this is a story about the importance of family, empathy, and compassion.

Designer Patrick Holt's gorgeously garish costumes impressively create the world of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. Director/choreographer Karen Azenberg utilizes a turntable in staging that is simple yet effective, and her enjoyable choreography is much more polished than it has any right to be in the limited amount of rehearsal time the concert staging construct allows. Most of the performers are astonishingly off book for the majority of the show, and the audience is in on the fun even if an actor happens to go up on a line.

Jamison Stern fills the important role of Albin with both emotional weight and sass, and James Patterson stands alongside him as Georges with gravitas and a mellifluous baritone. They are nothing short of phenomenal, as is University of Utah student Patrick Ryan Castle as Jean-Michel. His acting and singing are not just on par with any of the impressive Equity performers in the show, but he is one of the bright spots of a strong cast.

Brandon Contreras as the butler/maid Jacob is delightful comic relief, and Marion Markham as Anne's stuffy mother is equally diverting. Ann's father is played by former state senator and current mayoral candidate Jim Dabakis. He may not be giving up politics for acting any time soon, but it is an appearance that won't be soon forgotten.

With a cast that gives so much passion to a project, the audience can't help but be won over.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES only has two more performances remaining, so you will need to act quickly to snag remaining tickets for Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 801-581-6961 or visit www.pioneertheatre.org.

Photo Credit: L-R James Patterson (Georges) and Jamison Stern (Albin)

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