La Cage Aux Folles is a 1983 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about Georges, the manager of nightclub La Cage Aux Folles and his devoted husband Albin, who is the club's star performer as drag queen Zaza. Their harmonious, if unconventional, life is disrupted when Georges' son announces his engagement to the daughter of an ultra-conservative politician. The announcement and impending meeting with the future in-laws creates a lot of stress but sets off a series of hilarious events.
Veteran actors Ray Calleja and Mikhail Basmadjian will play the roles of Albin and Georges respectively. Albin is a flamboyant character, both in drag and in daily life, and is one of those roles that take an extraordinary amount of energy to perform. "Preparing for this role has been challenging at the best of times and nauseating when struggling with its complexities," Calleja admits. "Albin's over-the-top grandness smacks you in the face. However, his humanity and the universality of the story slowly creep in."
Preparing for an iconic role like Albin's is twofold: there is loving, romantic, maternal Albin, and then there is high maintenance, fabulous, diva Zaza. Calleja opted to start with Zaza, perfecting her wardrobe, make-up, wigs - and an ankle bracelet. "And that only deals with Zaza's appearance. Thank heavens for online ordering!" he says. "Also, living up to Albin, a gender-fluid ageing artiste, husband, and mother who is also highly respected within the community? That you cannot order online, cherie!" he exclaims with a twinkle in his eye.
While he does not get to wear high heels and sparkly dresses as Georges, Basmadjian had other challenges to face while preparing for the role. "Georges is a realist who keeps the show together, juggling a thousand things emotionally and logistically, which is a challenge to play," he shares. "He has to balance his absolute love, loyalty and dedication to Albin with his role as manager of the club. Conflict is inevitable as Albin, brilliant as he is as a performer, is capricious and somewhat of a prima donna, and Georges is the rock that keeps him in check in a most patient, tolerant and calm manner.
"The whole process has been a wonderful exploratory journey thanks to the script, directed by Chris Gatt, and Kris Spiteri's musical direction," the actor continues. "I've also known Ray for a long time, both as a fellow actor and friend, and love the process of discovering our characters together, as we create little rituals that help to portray Georges and Albin as a regular couple with all their ups and downs. I feel that our characters are growing as rehearsals progress, and we are trusting each other more."
La Cage Aux Folles was the first musical with a gay couple as protagonists and broke barriers at a time when homosexuality was still frowned upon. Although it is full of comic moments, the musical also touches upon very sensitive subjects. "I first came across the story in Robin Williams' film adaptation The Birdcage and I remember being mesmerised by Nathan Lane's iconic performance as Albin," Calleja recalls. "So, when I got the call to audition, I laughed hysterically, then cried, then fainted, then cried some more. Not only did I get to strike the role off my artistic bucket list but now I could also embellish it with a lifetime knowledge of living as a gay individual."
Although the world has changed since La Cage was written, some of the issues tackled in it are still a problem today. "Sadly, 40 years later, discrimination still exists, and many are still fighting for recognition and their place under the sun," says Basmadjian. "The musical speaks against such prejudice in a comical and amusing way but is never preachy or pretentious."
"We might have laws in place, state publicly how emancipated we are, and march in the streets, yet real emancipation is a work in progress," agrees Calleja. "To each positive action, the world responds with an immediate opposing reaction."
La Cage Aux Folles ticks many boxes. It will have audiences revelling in the spectacle, laughing out loud, humming songs as they walk out of Teatru Manoel, and may even bring a tear or two to their eyes. Ultimately, however, it is a story about love, family values and about being unashamedly true to oneself.
'La Cage Aux Folles' will be performed at Teatru Manoel on 21, 22, 28, 29 October at 8pm and 23, 26, 27, 30 October at 7.30pm. This production is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals and is suitable for audiences aged 13 and over. Tickets are available online at www.teatrumanoel.mt, by telephone on (+356) 2124 6389 or on [email protected]. For more information visit www.teatrumanoel.mt