Fri 4/22-Sat 4/2, Fri 4/29-Sat 4/30 & Fri 5/6-Sat 5/7 @ 8PM
The Akron Civic Theatre spawned the Millennial Theatre Project aimed at bringing younger people to the theater to see their peers perform. Now it’s also given birth to Boom! Theatre, performed by those over 50. (This audience doesn’t need to be courted though; theatergoers skew older.)
Starting this week, it will stage six performances of La Cage Aux Folles: The Musical, at the Akron Civic’s intimate Knight Stage. It’s based on a 1978 French/Italian film called La Cage Aux Folles, which in turn was based on a 1973 French play of the same name. It spawned the 1996 American film, The Birdcage, helmed by Mike Nichols and adapted by his wife Elaine May, featured Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest and Nathan Lane. Both films were big hits.
The story in a nutshell is about a pair of flamboyant gay men who run/perform at a drag club; one of them has a son (an accident!) who is marrying the daughter of extremely conservative parents. To say “complications ensue” is putting it mildly. It seems tailor-made for a stage musical — and so it came to pass. With a book by Harvey Fierstein and music/lyrics by Jerry Herman, it opened on Broadway in 1983 and won six Tony awards. One of its songs, “I Am What I Am,” has become a gay standard. It’s a script and score any cast could have great time with.
Tickets are $20. The theater tells us it’s not recommended for 16 and under. We’d add that it’s not recommended for Republican state legislators either.
Go to akroncivic.com or call the box office at 330.253.2488 for tickets.