La Cage Aux Folles - Chocolate Factory

Spent a very enjoyable afternoon at the Menier Chocolate Factory theatre seeing the excellent new production of 'La Cage Aux Folles'. I like the Choccy Factory (even if they do hide the chocolate) as a venue, small and intimate, but why oh why won't they start numbering the seats and having proper seats? Agony on the back after a while and everyone's squeezed together most uncomfortably. Whinge over and on to the show...

'La Cage' is a high camp farce that got off to an excellent start with the energetic dancers in sparkly frocks and too much make-up having a right old time with the opening number before moving upstairs to the tired romance of Georges and Albin who've been together for 20 years and no-one is getting any younger. We then learn that Georges' son is getting married and off we go with the roller coaster of songs and intrigue, of Albin feeling too old and fat to keep Georges even though Georges obviously still loves him... it's the story of two love affairs and two generations, of Georges and Albin and of Jean-Michel and Anne.

The sexual orientation doesn't really matter and is only overtly mentioned in the heat of argument or as insults. In the first half when Georges and Jean-Michel are arguing about whether Albin can be present at a planned dinner the ultimate attack Georges throws at his son is that he's heterosexual. In the second act Anne's right-wing father accuses Georges and Albin of being 'two homosexual transvestites' to which Albin holds up a finger and says there is 'one transvestite' and Georges does the same saying 'one homosexual'. Jean-Michel sees the error of his ways and acknowledges that Albin has, in reality, been his mother and they all live happily ever after - sort of.

It was all great fun. Philip Quast and Douglas Hodge were great as Georges and Albin and it was quite fun seeing Una Stubbs as Anne's mother. I particularly enjoyed the drag/tranny dancers and winced whenever they did the splits (where on earth do they put their bits?). I thoroughly enjoyed it! Go and see it if you can.

Previous Chocolate Factory productions have transferred to the West End ('Sunday In The Park With George' and 'Little Shop Of Horrors') and one even to Broadway ('Sunday In The Park') so here's hoping that 'La Cage' follows suit. I'd certainly go and see it on the big stage.