A triumphant star turn
Steve Ross steals the show in his well-deserved leading role after more than two decades of supporting parts with Stratford Festival
What makes a star turn triumphant? Is it the long journey it takes to reach that pinnacle? Or the quality of a performance itself?
For Steve Ross, whose star turn in “La Cage aux Folles” is the most triumphant of the Stratford Festival season thus far, it’s a bit of both.
The veteran actor, who’s appeared in the company for more than two decades, has for so long made a career of being a supporting player in some of the festival’s biggest musicals. No matter the role, be it as a crooked gambler in “Guys and Dolls” or the sad sack husband of a murderess in “Chicago,” Ross steals every scene he’s in and thrills audiences in the process.
That’s no exception in Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman’s 1983 musical, a rare show that has Ross
finally playing the star character and earning the last bow.
As someone who’s followed Ross closely over the past decade, this unforgettable performance feels like the culmination of every role he’s played up to this point — one that plumbs the depths of artistic emotion, combining searing pathos with comic levity, and elevates not only the work of the actors around him but also the material itself.
Ross plays Albin, a drag performer in a Saint-Tropez nightclub whose longtime romantic partner is Georges (Sean Arbuckle), the establishment’s proprietor.
Fierstein’s affirmative story of pride and acceptance is wellknown, based on a hit French play of the same name that was later turned into a film with two sequels, followed by another movie adaptation starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.
The ridiculous plot follows Albin, Georges and their heterosexual son Jean-Michel (James Daly), born to Georges and a British woman after an unexpected fling 24 years earlier. The hijinks begin after JeanMichel becomes engaged to Anne (Heather Kosik), whose parents happen to be Mme. Dindon (SaraJeanne Hosie) and Eduoard Dindon (Juan Chioran), the latter the deputy leader of the ultra-conservative “Tradition, Family and Morality Party,” which wants to close all local drag clubs.
Despite all the glitz, glamour and dazzling ostrich feather fans, “La Cage aux Folles” is ultimately an intimate story of family and acceptance: of each other and oneself.
The show’s heart lies in the relationship between Albin and Georges, and the musical’s success rests on its rendering of that central couple.
Unsurprisingly, Arbuckle and Ross are exceptional, their chemistry palpable. Through the mere exchange of a fleeting glance, you can feel the peaks and valleys of their weathered romance, so much so that I never questioned if the pair was an old couple, even if Fierstein’s book does little to establish their relationship.
Arbuckle may not have the strongest singing voice — Brian Kenny’s sound design occasionally favours the orchestra over the performers — but his acting is superb.
The evening’s highlight, however, is Ross’s rendition of the musical’s famous anthem, “I Am What I Am,” which comes after Georges tells his partner that he must ditch his drag persona and act as a heterosexual man when the Dindons arrive for a visit. The three-minute number is an emotional powerhouse and Ross pours his soul into it.
The central beauty of Arbuckle and Ross’s performances radiates to the rest of director Thom Allison’s joyous production, with sets (by Brandon Kleiman), costumes (by David Boechler) and lights (by Kimberly Purtell) that come together as a cohesive whole to create a feast for the senses. Cameron Carver’s cabaret choreography, particularly for les cagelles (the talented six-member ensemble in drag), is equally captivating.
It’s a production that almost smooths over the glaring potholes in the original material. When it premiered on Broadway in 1983, “La Cage aux Folles” was heralded for centring a gay couple onstage, and its unabashed celebration of drag and queer culture. No doubt it remains an important musical, still resonant as LGBTQ rights continue to be under threat.
But despite its bold subject matter, in almost every other regard “La Cage aux Folles” is as conventional as big Broadway musicals come, experimenting little with structure or form. Fierstein’s book lumbers at a glacial pace and, except for Georges and Albin, features paper-thin characters. Herman’s score at least is tuneful, if less memorable than his work on “Hello Dolly,” but it can’t help this musical escape its sitcom feel.
Nevertheless, Allison’s cast makes the most of the material, delivering a feel-good celebration of family — in all shapes and sizes.
Chris Vergara is a hoot as Jacob, Georges and Albin’s butler who wants nothing more than to appear in one of La Cage’s drag shows; Starr Domingue’s Jacqueline, a close friend to the couple, sings one of the musical’s most stirring numbers, “The Best of Times”; and Daly is charming and sings with a glistening voice as Jean-Michel.
But there’s no question the draw of this production will be Ross, the Stratford Festival stalwart who has paid his dues and is finally earning his reward. As his Albin sings in “I Am What I Am,” opening himself up to the world: “Give me the hook or the ovation.” In this case, Ross most certainly deserves every ovation.