Arts & Entertainment
Laughs a la ‘La Cage’
Dated but endearing musical charms with gay parenting tale

‘La Cage aux Folles’
Through Feb. 12
The Kennedy Center
$65 and up
202-467-4600
kennedy-center.org

George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber, center, in ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ playing now at the Kennedy Center. (Photo by Paul Kolnik; courtesy Kennedy Center)
Sometimes smaller is better. Case in point: Terry Johnson’s Tony Award-winning revival of “La Cage aux Folles” now at the Kennedy Center. The Broadway director’s scaled-down take on the feel-good musical is a charmer. Far more enjoyable than previous, more lavishly produced versions.
Before the show begins, a sassy drag queen wearing a pastel suit and pillbox hat (a salute to first ladies of yesteryear) takes a seat on the edge of the stage and warms up the crowd. She jokes with those filing in, asking about birthdays and anniversaries. She advises the buttoned-up folks in the crowd to relax, then inquires if there are any Indian, black, or Jewish lesbians in the house. After her, the audience is ready for anything.
With a hummable score by Jerry Herman (gay) and big-hearted book by Harvey Fierstein (also gay),” La Cage” is an old fashioned musical about family. Georges (George Hamilton) owns a drag club on the Riviera where his longtime partner Albin (Christopher Sieber) performs as Zaza. Together they’ve raised Jean-Michel (Billy Harrigan Tighe), Georges’ son from a long ago night of experimentation with a less-than-maternal playmate. The action kicks off when their son unexpectedly returns home for a visit, followed soon after by his new fiancée and her right-wing politician father and cowed mother. Needless to say, much zaniness, hurt feelings, anger and sentiment ensues.
Sieber’s Zaza is a big-boned, glittery diva (looks like Tyne Daly rolled in sequins) who works the room (in this case the Eisenhower Theater) like a pro. Her old school act references Marilyn and Marlene. But Lynne Page’s incredible, acrobatic choreography is left to Zaza’s back-ups, the lovely Cagelles (Matt Anctil, Logan Keslar, Donald C. Shorter Jr., Mark Roland, Terry Lavell and Trevor Downey). However, make no mistake, despite the sexy showgirl getups (compliments of costume designer Matthew Wright) not one of these muscular chorus boys could be mistaken for a real lady. But that’s part of the fun. Johnson’s reimagined dancers are vastly more entertaining than the much longer, mixed kick line of biologically female chorines and passable lovelies seen in past productions.
Set designer Tim Shortall cleverly sets the scene with a palm-decorated, scallop-topped proscenium. His stage within a stage quickly transforms into Georges and Albin’s over-decorated flat above the club in which the backstage story plays out.
Buzz surrounding the national tour suggested that 72-year-old movie actor and jetsetter George Hamilton was a big disappointment as Georges. In fact, he’s quite endearing in the role of the indulgent father and loving spouse. With his fabled suntan and signature insouciance, he certainly fits the part of a San Tropez club owner. And while he isn’t much of a dancer, his singing isn’t bad.
As high maintenance-but-lovable Albin, Broadway musical veteran Siebert s is simply terrific. He’s a powerhouse performer who plumbs the part for big laughs but can also dial down his performance when needed. But Sieber is at his best when Albin’s personal life spills into alter ego Zaza’s drag act and he belts Herman’s gay anthem “I Am What I am” with heartfelt power.
Adapted from the same-titled French play, “La Cage Aux Folles” was a little racy when it premiered on Broadway in 1983. Whatever shock value the show once had is gone. Same-sex parents are a nightly news and sitcom staple. Still, the creaky plot cranks out laughs and its messages of self- acceptance and the importance of family whatever its composition still resound strongly.
Books
A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat
New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages
Happy is the bride the sun shines on.
Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.
He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.
He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.
But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.
Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.
Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.
What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.
In short, this book is quite stunning.
Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.
If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.
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