PROVIDENCE: Trinity Repertory Company concludes its 60th Anniversary Season with the hit musical La Cage aux Folles, featuring a book by Harvey Fierstein, music by Jerry Herman, and directed and choreographed by resident company member Taavon Gamble. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the Ticket Office on 201 Washington St., online at trinityrep.com/lacage, or by calling (401) 351-4242.
ABOUT LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
This Best Musical Tony-winner follows Georges, the proprietor of a drag club, and his husband, Albin, the star attraction. When Georges’ son announces his engagement to the daughter of a homophobic politician, Georges plans to closet himself for a family dinner. But Albin, knowing the importance of staying true to yourself, has other ideas … and hijinks ensue. La Cage aux Folles is funny, genuine, and full of show-stopping numbers. It is sure to lead to “The Best of Times!”
“I first encountered this great musical as a young, gay man growing up in the 1980s,” The Laura H. Harris Artistic Director Curt Columbus said. “It spoke to me so profoundly at the time, as it does to this day. The themes of family and acceptance, whether of self or of others, still resonate incredibly deeply for anyone who has felt isolated or stigmatized by the rest of society. In fact, La Cage aux Folles and its message are possibly more urgently needed today than when the show was first created.”
THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
Jerry Herman is the only composer-lyricist in history to have three musicals run over 1,500 consecutive performances on Broadway. A Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winner and recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, Herman’s best-known scores include Hello, Dolly! and Mame.
Tony Award-winning librettist Harvey Fierstein penned books for Kinky Boots, Newsies, and Torch Song Trilogy, among many others. He also received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Hairspray.
Director, choreographer, and resident company member Taavon Gamble was most recently seen on Trinity Rep’s stage as the Ghost of Christmas Present in this season’s A Christmas Carol. Additional Trinity Rep performance credits include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Inheritance, A Tale of Two Cities, Little Shop of Horrors, Ragtime, By the Queen, and Oklahoma!. He previously directed productions at Greater Boston Stage Company, Reagle Music Theatre, Peach State Summer Theatre, Jean’s Playhouse, Pittsburgh Playhouse, and Arundel Barn Playhouse. Taavon holds numerous movement and choreography credits Off-Broadway and regionally, including at Trinity Rep (A Christmas Carol 2019 and 2021).
“I have wanted to work on La Cage aux Folles for quite some time!” he said. “It has come into my life twice before, but I unfortunately had scheduling conflicts each time. Having it come back right now, at this moment in my life and our country’s current climate, seems right. In many ways, the conversations within this show seem more present than ever as we fight to hold on to our constitutional rights, and to combat systemic racism and discrimination against those with differing gender and sexual identities. It’s about acceptance, respect, and everyone being able to say ‘I am what I am’ with dignity and pride.”
The production’s creative team includes music director Andrew Smithson (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), scenic designer Janie Howland, costume designer Olivera Gajic (The Prince of Providence), lighting designer Erica Lauren Maholmes (The Inferior Sex), sound designer Larry D. Fowler, Jr. (By the Queen), dialect coach Rebecca Gibel (A Christmas Carol), and intimacy designer Jackie Davis (The Inheritance).
The cast of this production features resident company member Stephen Thorne as Georges; guest artist C. Mingo Long as Albin; Brown/Trinity Rep alum Michael Jennings Mahoney as their son Jean-Michel; Kayla Shimizu as Jean Michel’s fiancée Anne; Brad Reinking as Georges and Albin’s butler/maid Jacob; returning guest artists Jenna Lea Scott and Dereks Thomas in dual roles as both the Renauds, friends of Albin and Georges, and the Dindons, Anne’s conservative parents; resident company member Rachael Warren as the restauranter Jacqueline; and Dylan Michael Bowden as the club’s stage manager Francis. Rounding out the cast are Les Cagelles, the drag performers at La Cage aux Folles, played by Alexander Crespo-Rosario II, Augusto Guardado, Alex LeBlanc, Kevin Patrick Martin, and Stephen Tracey-Ursprung.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES
Continuing Trinity Rep’s tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will hold a Pay What You Wish performance of La Cage aux Folles on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Wish tickets go on sale at 2:00 pm the day of the performance and are limited to two per person.
Continuing this season are Neighborhood Nights, where Rhode Island residents can access a 20% discount on Sunday evening performances based on where they live. Providence County residents are eligible for a Neighborhood Night discount for every Sunday evening performance. The Neighborhood Night performances for Kent County, Washington County, and Bristol & Newport County residents are on June 9, 16, and 23, respectively. Guests may claim this discount by entering their county name in all capital letters at checkout (i.e., PROVIDENCE).
Open Captioned performances are on June 26, 29, and 30 at 2:00 pm; and June 26, 27, 28, and 29 at 7:30 pm. The Sensory Friendly performance of La Cage aux Folles, designed to meet the needs of guests with sensitivities to light and sound, will be held on June 19 at 7:30 pm.
Trinity Rep’s 2023-24 Season is sponsored by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) with supporting sponsorship by the Providence Tourism Council. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of Trinity Rep.
ABOUT TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY
Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning theater, Trinity Rep has created unparalleled professional theater for and with its community since its founding in 1963. Trinity Rep strives to facilitate human connection and has been a driving force behind the creativity that fuels and defines the region for more than 50 years.
Trinity Rep is committed to reinventing the public square and inspiring dialogue by creating emotionally stimulating live productions that range from classical to contemporary and innovative education programs for all ages and abilities. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol has brought families together for more than four decades and made memories for nearly two million audience members. For more information, visit Trinity Rep’s website at www.trinityrep.com.
AT A GLANCE
La Cage aux Folles
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Adapted from “La Cage aux Folles” by Jean Poiret
Director and Choreographer – Taavon Gamble
Assistant Director and Choreographer – Hannah Spacone Larrea
Music Director – Andrew Smithson
Set Designer – Janie Howland
Costume Designer – Olivera Gajic
Lighting Designer – Erica Lauren Maholmes
Sound Designer – Larry D. Fowler, Jr.
Dialect Coach – Rebecca Gibel
Intimacy Designer – Jackie Davis
Stage Manager – John Godbout
Assistant Stage Manager – Anaïs Bustos
Cast – Featuring resident company members Stephen Thorne and Rachael Warren; and guest artists Dylan Michael Bowden, Alexander Crespo-Rosario II, Augusto Guardado, C. Mingo Long, Alex LeBlanc, Michael Jennings Mahoney, Kevin Patrick Martin, Brad Reinking, Jenna Lea Scott, Kayla Shimizu, Dereks Thomas, and Stephen Tracey-Ursprung.
La Cage aux Folles Opening Press Night | Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Invitations and RSVP instructions to come
Pay What You Wish – May 30 at 7:30 pm
Neighborhood Nights – Patrons can receive 20% off tickets for the 7:30 pm evening performance on the following Sundays:
June 9 (Kent County residents using discount code KENT at checkout)
June 16 (Washington County residents using discount code WASHINGTON at checkout)
June 23 (Bristol & Newport County residents using discount code BRISTOL or NEWPORT)
All Sunday evenings (Providence County residents using discount code PROVIDENCE)
Open Caption Performances – June 26, 29, and 30 at 2:00 pm; and June 26, 27, 28, and 29 at 7:30 pm
Sensory-Friendly Performance – June 19 at 7:30 pm
Masked Matinee Performance – June 12 and 16 at 2:00 pm
Ticket Office – (401) 351-4242; 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903
Group Sales – (401) 453-9238; discounts for groups of 10 or more
Website – trinityrep.com/lacage
Season Sponsor – Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA)
Supporting Season Sponsor – Providence Tourism Council
Official Airline of Trinity Rep – Southwest Airlines