FOOLS IN: La Cage aux Folles with StageWorks Fresno

SWF production photo: Michael C. Flores gets make-up assistance from Mallory Parker.

The original La Cage aux Folles was a French farce written in 1973 by Jean Poiret. It was adapted to a film five years later, then into a musical version five years after that.  Many folks who aren't familiar with title might better know the story through the vantage point of the successful 1996 American film remake. The Birdcage (starring such famous names like Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Christine Baranski, and Calista Flockhart), opened at #1 on the US box office charts and stayed there for three weeks before continuing on as a favorite guilty pleasure among video rental houses (r.i.p.) and streaming sites alike.

All versions of the story have the same basic plot: A night club owner and his fabulously flamboyant life-partner embark on a crazy journey when they receive word that their heterosexual son is bringing home his new fiancé's very conservative, very religious, very powerful in-laws-to-be. Chaos ensues with, as Desson Thomson from The Washington Post describes it, "eyeliner to one-liners."

One might like to think the world has advanced far enough from the social politics of the 70's and 80's (and even the 90's) to hope a show like La Cage is no longer topical. Unfortunately, in a society where gay youth still disproportionately experience homelessness, where trans women continue to be killed at alarming rates,  and where the president of the United States continues to roll back LGBTQIA rights, the script remains just as necessary for American audiences to ingest as it was thirty years ago.

SWF production photo: Damen Pardo applies make-up backstage.

Damen Pardo, who has performed in drag multiple times at Fools events, is very at home in his role as a "Cagelle" (one of the drag queens) in this cast. "In a culture that still undervalues different types of non-traditional family dynamics, this show presents that conflict against tradition in a comedic way that is still able to tug at your heart strings,"  he says. "I think it might be a thing where many people in the audience will find themselves thinking of family in a new way, maybe even for the first time."

Fool Michael C. Flores, another one the SWF production's Cagelles, agrees. "Sometimes family isn’t always what you’re born with, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. Underneath the feathers and glitter of this show, there’s an important lesson of pride and acceptance that still needs to be told."

Flores says that building non-traditional family is just as much a behind-the-scenes theme as the story itself. "My favorite part about being in the cast is the bond I’ve made with my fellow Cagelles," he says. "Prepping for drag is kind of a vulnerable thing to do, and we’ve all helped each other along the way. "

For someone like Pardo, who often performs as his alter-ego Harley Sinn, being in a theatrical production of a drag show has been different from performing in a regular drag show, in the best kind of way. "As a working drag queen, I've never been so catered to!" he says, with delight. "I'm usually the one doing everything myself but here I have someone picking out my costumes, helping with my make-up, helping with my wig. People are constantly asking for my advice, which I do give happily, but it's nice to all feel a little taken care of, too."

SWF Production Photo: Joel Abels and Terry Lewis.

​La Cage opens tonight (July 26th) and runs until August 11 at the Dan Pessano Theatre at Clovis North High School campus. Other Fools in the production include Terry Lewis and Joel Abels, alongside many other dear and talented community members. 
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Visit StageWorks Fresno's website for more information or to purchase tickets. Get them quickly, though. Opening weekend is already sold out!