As the orchestra commenced the overture and the house lights dimmed the atmosphere in the theatre was electric, and rightly so due to a simple fact that a large part of the audience were gay men. They clearly had a love for this show and had seen it before, as was the case with myself; those who were seeing it for the first time knew that it was going to be a very special night at the theatre.
The stunning opening number revealed that this major revival of this musical extravaganza has had serious money spent on it, and the production values from the costumes, wigs and sets was huge. The whole thing was fabulous to look at and so was the cast.
John Partridge as Albin was phenomenal and his rendition of I Am What I Am took the roof of the New Wimbledon Theatre. His vocal capabilities are exceptional and the passion and superb comic timing he gave to the role made for a tour de force that enabled him to stand out from other actors who have played the role in recent years. His partner, George, played with real tenderness by Adrian Zmed, made their scenes together mesmerising and beautiful to watch.
This is a thrilling production and all concerned should be highly congratulated for bringing back to the stage a landmark show about love and friendship. If you get a chance to see this show when it goes on a further tour during the year grab a ticket and you will not regret it because as the title of the last song in the show states, ‘The best of times is now.’ Stunning stuff, a true theatrical treat.
La Cage Aux Folles will resume its tour in May. For dates and tickets, visit atgtickets.com/shows/la-cage-aux-folles.
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