"La Cage Aux Folles" - by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein - Worcester Count Light Opera Company (Worcester, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Members of the CAST of the musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein presented by Worcester County Light Opera Company in Worcester, MA. through May 3, 2026. Photo Credit: Amy Mae Photography)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“We face life with a little guts and lots of glitter...”
- ("Georges") / Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein
Worcester Count Light Opera Company
Presents the Musical
"LA CAGE AUX FOLLES"
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Based upon “La Cage aux Folles” by Jean Poiret
Directed and Choreographed by Kait Eckstrom-Doig
Music Director Lenny McGuire
Cast Includes: Chuck Grigaitis as “Albin/Zaza,” Kyle Hargrove as “Georges,” Jared Palazzo as “Jean-Michel,” Vic Kruczynski as “M. Eduard Dindon,” Robyn Scott as “Mme. Marie Dindon,” Stephanie Gomes as “Anne,” Kyle Collins as “Francis,” Linnea Lyerly as “Jacqueline,” Kyree Casey-Wright as “Jacob,” Armando Estevez as “Townsperson/Club Boy,” Brandon Snyder as “Bitelle,” Alex Zimmer as “Chantal,” Liz Couture as “Mercedes,” Katerina Pacheco Wolf as “Hanna,” Sir Royce as “Phaedra,” Patrick Ackely as “Tobarro/Townsperson,” Joanna Flanagan as “Dance Captain/Townsperson,” Angela Foley as “Babette/Mme. Renaud,” Ginny Hilli as « Collette/Townsperson,” Tom Jaquith-Houston as “M. Renaud/Townsperson,” Paige Naumnik as “Etienne/Townsperson.”
Additional Creative Team: Producers – Peter Russo, Liz Couture; Vocal Assistant – Linnea Lyerly; Stage Manager – Adrian Gage; Assistant Director – Ashton Lubin; Assistant Choreographer – Libbey Stearns; Assistant Stage Managers – Rachel King, Meg Culkeen, Ashton Lacharite; Set Design and Scenic Artist – Mike Nosel; Set Construction – Mike Nosel, Rob Lynds, Peter Russo, Kevin Moylan, John Stoffel; Lighting Design – John Stoffel, Peter Russo; Electrician – John Stoffel; Costume Design – Liz Couture, Meg Culkeen, Rachel King; Costume Construction – Janice McLean, Angela Foley; Prop Design – Ally Kinch; Sound Effects – Peter Russo; Sound Operator – Janel Milner.
Performances:
April 24, 2026 through May 3, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
WORCESTER COUNTY LIGHT OPERA COMPANY (WCLOC), Grandview Ave. Playhouse, 21 Grandview Avenue, Worcester, MA.
TICKETS:
For tickets or more information call WCLOC at # 508-753-4383 or visit www.wcloc.org
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Worcester County Light Opera Company (WCLOC) closes out its 2025-2026 season with the flamboyantly flirty and funny musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" which plums with pride.
The musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" (usually attempted to be pronounced as“lah cahzh oh foll” with hit or miss results) features a score by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein based on a 1973 French play of the same name.
Performed in an immersive setting and under the perceptive guidance of director and choreographer Kait Eckstrom-Doig, the entire WCLOC ensemble flourishes, albeit trying to perform some rather ambitious routines in a confined space.
Opening on Broadway in 1983, "LA CAGE..." broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship.
The show's act one finale "I Am What I Am" is still considered a "gay anthem" by many, especially among those of a certain age.
(Photo: Kyree Casey-Wright as “Jacob,” in a scene from the musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein presented by Worcester County Light Opera Company in Worcester, MA. through May 3, 2026. Photo Credit: Amy Mae Photography)
The original Broadway production of "LA CAGE..." ran for more than four years (1,761 performances), and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.
The success of the musical spawned a West End (London) production and several international runs.
Subsequent revivals have garnered considerable success, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in both 2005 and 2010, as well as the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival in 2008.
The story of "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" centers on gay couple Georges (Kyle Hargrove), manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin (Chuck Grigaitis), his romantic partner and star attraction who goes by the stage name “Zaza.”
As the WCLOC show opens, Georges introduces the chorus line known as “Les Cagelles” who appear in resplendent fashion, introducing themselves to the audience in the dazzling opening number "We Are What We Are."
Again, even in the intimate, immersive setting, the choreography is constricted given the WCLOC space, so Eckstrom-Doig cleverly has incorporated moments of basic blocking with stylized flourishes, posing and arm movements to compensate which absolutely works.
(Photo: Kyle Hargrove as “Georges” with members of the CAST of the musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein presented by Worcester County Light Opera Company in Worcester, MA. through May 3, 2026. Photo Credit: Amy Mae Photography)
Georges and Albin have lived happily together for many years in an apartment above “Les Cagelles” with their idiosyncratic "house servant" Jacob (Kyree Casey-Wright).
Their rather routine, uneventful existence (note sarcasm) is about to become even a bit more eventful upon the arrival of their 24-year-old son Jean-Michel (Jared Palazzo) who has come home with big news.
Jean-Michel was born after a young and “confused” Georges had a liaison with a woman named Sybil, who is never seen but factors prominently into the story.
Jean-Michel announces that he intends to marry – a woman – as he has become engaged to the young and beautiful Anne Dindon (Stephanie Gomes).
He tells Georges and Albin that Anne’s ultra-conservative parents (played by Vic Kruczynski and Robyn Scott) are coming over to meet Jean-Michel’s “parents,” expecting to meet a (biological female) mother and (ditto male) father.
In the musical number "With Anne on My Arm" sung with ease by Palazzo, Jean-Michel expresses to his father that he is completely devoted to Anne.
However, this still leaves Georges in a predicament, unsure how to explain to Albin that Jean-Michel has invited the missing Sybil to appear in Albin’s stead as Jean-Michel’s “mother,” even though Albin has been Jean Michel’s true mother his whole life.
Unfortunately, Jean-Michel forces the deception upon them as Anne’s father is head of the "Tradition, Family and Morality Party" which has a declared mission to close down all local drag clubs, including “Les Cagelles.”
(Photo: Chuck Grigaitis as “Albin/Zaza” in a moment from the musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein presented by Worcester County Light Opera Company in Worcester, MA. through May 3, 2026. Photo Credit: Amy Mae Photography)
Georges reluctantly agrees to the deception and hides most of it at first from Albin, which results in some hilarious moments in the first act of the WCLOC production.
Hargrove is quite effective as Georges, leading us through much of the "LA CAGE..." story, but seemed to be struggling vocally with portions of the score during the April 24th performance.
Nevertheless, as Georges, Hargrove has a complete grasp of the character.
Only wanting to do right by their son, but knowing their son trying to hide who they truly are is wrong, makes them feel Jean-Michel is ashamed of them (thus bringing us to the Act One closer “I Am What I Am” wonderfully performed by Grigaitis).
Grigaitis alone is worth the price of admission to the WCLOC show, giving a funny but considered portrayal of Albin.
As we move into the show’s second act of "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES," there are a multitude of well-executed scenes between Hargrove and Grigaitis as the conflicted parents.
The musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" is replete with many marvelous tunes, from the melancholy "Song on the Sand" to the mirthful "Masculinity" where, with the aid of Monsieur and Madame Renaud (Tom Jaquith-Houston and Angela Foley), Georges tries to teach Albin how to abandon his more flamboyant ways in to appear as a far more "regular macho guy" uncle to the Dindons.
Needless to say (but I will) the above attempt is uproariously funny.
As the dour, restrained Dindons couple, both Kruczynski and Scott are given many moments to shine comedically and, when they are finally un-restrained, these moments result in some of the biggest laughs in the show’s second act.
(Photo: Jared Palazzo as “Jean-Michel,” with Stephanie Gomes as “Anne” in a scene from the musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein presented by Worcester County Light Opera Company in Worcester, MA. through May 3, 2026. Photo Credit: Amy Mae Photography)
A nice surprise in the show comes from the performance by Stephanie Gomes as Anne, who takes a quirky and assertive approach to a role that can often be played as rather one-dimensional.
Other standout performances come from Linnea Lyerly as “Jacqueline”, Albin and Georges' friend and owner of well-known elegant restaurant “Chez Jacqueline,” and Casey Wright, yielding numerous laughs as “Jacob.”
Along with portraying diverse characters and taking on the bulk of the choreography in the show as members of “Les Cagelles” the entire versatile ensemble never disappoints.
Another rousing crowd-pleasing tune is the upbeat "The Best of Times" rendered magnificently by Grigaitis and Lyerly, supported by the entire WCLOC ensemble.
(Photo: Members of the CAST of the musical "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein presented by Worcester County Light Opera Company in Worcester, MA. through May 3, 2026. Photo Credit: Amy Mae Photography)
"LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" is a wonderful way to conclude another fabulous season by WCLOC, which has announced its intended 2026-2027 season that includes:
- "THE EFFECT" by Lucy Prebble, which runs from October 16th through October 25th, 2026;
- Tennessee William’s immortal classic "THE GLASS MENAGERIE" which runs during the holiday season at WCLOC from December 4th through December 13th, 2026;
- In 2027 the season continues with Annie Baker’s "CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION" which runs from February 12th through February 21st, 2027;
- And the 2026-2027 WCLOC season concludes with the delightful musical "THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA" featuring a book by Craig Lucas and score by Adam Guettel, with performances from April 23rd through May 2nd, 2027.
For tickets or more information call WCLOC at # 508-753-4383 or visit www.wcloc.org
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE STORY
Georges is the owner of the "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" nightclub, which features a drag show starring his partner and the love of his life, Albin.
After twenty years of un-wedded bliss, Georges and his partner Albin face the hardest challenge of their relationship, yet: meeting their son, Jean-Michel’s fiancé’s parents.
Albin has always raised Jean-Michel, Georges’ biological son, as his own.
But when Jean-Michel falls in love and becomes engaged to the daughter of an ultra-conservative, anti-gay politician, Georges feels compelled to try to present a more “traditional” family to Jean-Michel’s potential in-laws.
When Albin tries (and fails) to take on a masculine persona in the role of Uncle Al, he gets more creative in order to find a way to be part of the “meet the parents” experience.
Based on Jean Poiret’s 1973 French play of the same name, the multi-Tony award-winning "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" is a musical filled with delightful spectacle and great heart. (STAGEAGENT)
For tickets or more information call WCLOC at # 508-753-4383 or visit www.wcloc.org
BUY TICKETS
ABOUT WORCESTER COUNTY LIGHT OPERA COMPANY (WCLOC)
Founded in 1937, WCLOC is Worcester’s oldest active theater company. As a local, non-profit community theater, we depend on the generosity of our members, patrons, subscribers, and donors to help forward the mission of our organization to entertain, inform, and nurture local artists and audiences through the production of high quality, affordable musicals, plays, and children’s educational workshops. A donation to WCLOC allows us to continue to keep tickets affordable for local audiences, helps us maintain and make necessary improvements to our Clubhouse, and supports a full season of memorable theater and educational opportunities.
WORCESTER COUNTY LIGHT OPERA COMPANY
P.O. Box # 51
Worcester, MA. 01613
# 508-753-4383
