The fabulous La Cage Aux Folles!

PUBLISHED July 13th, 2012 10:11 am | UPDATED March 28th, 2016 10:11 am

Did someone say high-camp fabulousness? Oh yes, we love a bit of that over at City Nomads. And so when we heard that Broadway’s most fabulous, award-winning musical comedy – La Cage Aux Folles – was being produced courtesy of W!LD RICE, but with a few tweaks to incorporate a little Singaporean flair , the obvious response was to throw our hands up in the air and shriek with delight!

And of course with it, comes everything that is more or less mandatory of the production – spectacular sets, lavish costumes, snazzy dance routines, and the whizz bang of a heart-warming yet incredibly cheeky musical, which is a celebration of family and love.

For those of you who are familiar with the storyline, let me tell you, this production has a whole lot of local flavour adding a extra layer of entertainment; and for those of you who aren’t, well it runs something like this:

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES,  is a glitzy nightclub in Tanjong Pagar, where George plays host and Albin, his longtime partner, headlines it’s world famous cabaret as the fabulous diva, Zaza.

On stage and off, life seems perfect for the couple. That is, until George’s son, Jean- Michel, announces that he is getting married to the daughter of Mr. D.D. Tan, Chairman of the Tradition, Family and Morality Party.

You can see where this is going, right?

Hmmm….just imagine being that poor daughter, Anne.  Yes that’s what we thought…so we decided to get behind the scenes with the lovely Seong Hui Xuan, who plays Anne (pictured in the blue dress above), and ask her a few questions…

So….how did you prepare for La Cage?

I listened to the soundtrack to death. I watched the original French film which inspired the play and the musical, as well as the English version ‘The Birdcage’ – just to see the different ways this story can be told. I haven’t been dancing full time for some years, so it was good to go back to my roots and start taking dance classes daily again.

What was the hardest part for you about this production?

For me it was mostly trying to find my character beyond being an oppressed daughter of conservatives who eventually stands her own ground. While that’s a good start, I wanted to make her three-dimensional – not exactly the easiest thing when your character says about ten lines in the entire show!

How was it working with Director Glen Goei, one of Singpore’s leading film and theatre directors?

This is my third time working with Glen, and as always, it is fun and fantastic. Glen is one of the loveliest people I have ever met, just so generous and open in spirit, and I think that translates into his directing. He gives us the opportunity to try silly things, even though we know it probably won’t work and in the end he’ll have to say “no lah, cannot”, just so we can say that we’ve explored our options, and I really appreciate that process of discovery.

You’re working alongside some great names in the cast – names like Ivan Heng, Hossan Leong and Karen Tan – tell us a bit more about that.

They’re not just great names, they’re great people! I always love working with people who are better and more experienced than I am. I love the journey I’m on, and I hope I never stop learning and being inspired. But I have to say Hossan cracks me up – he’s just amazing…

Overall, what have been the high points of working on La Cage for you?

Having Darius and Karen as my parents, the chemistry I have with Aaron, who plays my fiancé, being given the opportunity to do a bit of proper dancing, the great cast and crew, and the funny and silly moments we have in rehearsals.

La Cage is a well-known gay anthem, but having worked on it now, do you see it more as a gay anthem, or a play about love, family, and values?

It’s definitely more about love and family to me – what you would do for someone you truly love, what you would forgive. I think that’s part of what makes it a gay anthem – because who your family is and who you love has nothing to do with gender or genetics, it’s what you do for each other that counts. And I really hope that audiences will see it the same way.

You have a great passion for dance and choreography – both of which audiences can expect to see a lot of in this production – tell us a bit about that?

The choreography is simply amazing. Lisa, the choreographer, is nothing short of incredible. The choreography is spectacular, specific, and it has great humour in it, which I love. And all the numbers are so different! You’re gonna love it.

La Cage Aux Folles runs from 20 July – 4 August at Esplanade Theatre. Ticket prices are $35 to $125 and available from SISTIC.

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Written by Ms Demeanour