Ti-Ahwaga Players spread the love with La Cage Aux Folles
Stepping into the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center, I am greeted with a “There she is!” and hugs from a couple of folks who happen to be directors. This isn’t special treatment; this is Ti-Ahwaga. The company places a strong emphasis on community, and feels like one big family, so it is only fitting that they put on a show that, at its core, is all about family: the 1983 Tony-sweeping La Cage Aux Folles.
This adaptation of the 1973 French play of the same name - (literally translating to “The Cage of Madwomen” or, more precisely, “The Cage of Effeminate Gay Men”) – could easily be dismissed as a flashy drag show of a musical, but that would be missing the point completely. Those who have seen the show (or the 1996 film The Birdcage, adapted from the same original play) know this already, and it is not without recognition. The musical, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, earned Tonys for Best Musical, Book, and Original Score, and won Best Revival of a Musical both times it was revived, in 2005 and 2010.
As Jim Osborne, who directs Ti-Ahwaga’s production, explains, “I decided - even though La Cage is absolutely full of glitz, glamour, show – at the core of it is the whole family: the family as a unit and what it means in today’s world.” He continues, “I have not wanted the show to go to an extreme – [the glamour] is there, but too much of it would take away from what, I feel, is at the core of this show, this musical comedy.”
“Love, humanity, family” is the concept that guided Osborne’s direction of the show, and that feeling resonates throughout the playhouse, far beyond the stage.
“They’re my favorite company in the area,” beams Talia Saraceno, who is assistant directing and choreographing the production, as well as playing Angelique, one of the Cagelles. “When I first came back from college, I just happened to have auditioned here first, and they really welcomed me. And I was really nervous […] and I didn’t want to be judging myself or worried about things - I was going to just do whatever the hell I wanted to do.”
She goes on, “Jim [Osborne] had never met me before, and didn’t care – [he] welcomed me with open arms […] and this is my third show with them out of the four-show season. It’s just a community of people that I really connect with, and they have a community vision, and at the same time, they do really professional stuff.”
The level of professionalism is apparent in the show’s set – part nightclub, part living room - which was designed by Sonny DeWitt, who is also Executive Director of the theater, and plays keyboard in the show’s orchestra.
“Sonny’s been really advocating for having a single vision, and having a picture of the show and what we want it to look like,” shares Saraceno.
This clarity of vision carries through to the players, who bear the heart of the show. Mike Cyr, who plays Albin (and the drag queen Zaza – a character within a character), says, “It’s an excellent part,” and describes Albin as “a successful, gay drag queen that works as the star in his husband’s nightclub […] He’s very theatrical, sensitive – it’s a very big part; he’s a very big character.”
Cyr is subtle artist who plays the role with such humanity, one might forget that he’s acting. “I happen to be heterosexual, and anytime I’m going to play someone who is not like myself, I want to careful not to fall into clichés, or any kind of stereotypes.”
A graduate of Ithaca’s Acting BFA program, Cyr just reentered the theatre after a five-year hiatus from acting (he had a son in 2013). He reveals, “I’m desperately trying to avoid making […] some kind of effeminate caricature of someone who’s gay. I’m trying not to offend anybody, and just stay true to who he is, and tell the story we’re telling, which is the love of these two guys. You know: they’re two guys, they’re deeply in love, they’ve been together, they’ve raised a family together, and that’s really what the story’s all about; that’s what the show’s all about. It’s about love – period.”
Despite Cyr’s talent and depth of commitment to his character, casting was not easy. “I did not know of Michael – never saw him before in my life,” recalls Osborne. “There was another individual who had come in, who I knew, and, I’ll tell you quite frankly, that if Michael hadn’t wowed my socks off with his audition, I would have gone with the person I knew. But Michael came to the audition with a very clear idea of what he was playing.”
The director shares that it was a “certain vulnerability” that both he and Saraceno detected in Cyr’s audition that sealed the deal. “That’s exactly how I wanted to portray Zaza,” says Osborne, “as very vulnerable: he’s an aging drag queen, scared about where he is and the future. There are all these things going on inside of him, and his insecurities – the character’s insecurities – I saw could, and should, be played in a very heartfelt way, and I had decided that was what I was aiming for, in terms of the concept for the show – this very heartfelt musical comedy that goes right to the core, to the heart of the individual and the whole concept of the modern family.”
According to Osborne, this is the Southern Tier debut of La Cage, and Cyr is proud to be a part of it: “I think it’s a really important story to tell: we’re all human beings, and we all care about each other, and we all have strengths and weaknesses, and everybody cares about their family,” he reflects. “The cast is terrific. Everyone’s working really hard – everyone’s doing everything in their power to make this a really fun and powerful night out at the theater. We’re hoping that it’s going to be great.”
Performances of La Cage Aux Folles will take place at the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center located at 42 Delphine Street in Owego every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from June 2nd through 18th; Friday and Saturday performances at 8pm; Sunday matinees at 2pm. For tickets and more information, visit tiahwaga.com or call (607) 687-2130.
