Plucked Feathers

In 1984 Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein’s funny, feathery musical La Cage aux Folles won six Tonys, including Best Musical. Nearly two decades later, the story about a flamboyant gay couple who own the most talked-about transvestite club in France creaks a bit in the bones. Unfortunately, the rather feeble production now running at Bienvenue Theatre can’t do for the old yarn what Robin Williams and Nathan Lane did when they dragged it into the ’90s with The Birdcage.

The dated tale about the gay couple’s son, who decides to marry a girl (whose parents head up a conservative political party), is not the outrageous story it once was, and Christian DeVries’s stodgy direction doesn’t help matters any. The endless scene changes, which require long periods of darkness while tables and fountains and slivery curtains are pulled on and offstage, drag (no pun intended) down the energy from the outset. Musically, the tempo never quite recovers from the rather lifeless opening, which is marred by awkward phrasing and some unfortunate dancing. It stretches the imagination to the breaking point to believe that this motley group of transvestites possesses all the glamour we are told they do. “We Are What We Are,” the number in which the troupe makes no apologies for its lifestyle, has all the fizz of warm champagne. And the campy, costumed dancers stomp rather than float through choreographer Andy Clements’s overwrought steps.

The second act, with less dancing and fewer scene changes, is stronger than the first, but the only moments that truly stand out come from Omari Tau Williams. His Jacob, the flighty butler/maid, bubbles with the over-the-top energy this show requires. Williams is so strong, so campy, so wonderfully electric that he can carry this hangdog production whenever he’s on stage. Unfortunately, he’s not on that often. Also, Chris Zelko as Jean-Michel, the son who wants to marry, handles his rather meager part with grace. His lovely tenor is captivating. Otherwise, this misguided production stumbles over itself at every turn.