The Palm Canyon Theatre will premiere its production of “La Cage Aux Folles” Friday evening.
Curtains are set to open at 8 p.m. Friday.
Ron Coronado and Luke Rainey star in the Harvey Fierstein musical based off a 1973 French play as Albin/Zaza and Georges, a married couple consisting of a drag performer and owner at a glitzy nightclub. When Georges’ son from a brief heterosexual fling comes home with his fiancée and her homophobic father, a conservative politician, the household dynamics result in farcical adventures.
Palm Canyon Theatre’s production also features an Ferris as Jean-Michael, Taylor Graham as Anne, Donald Kelley as Edouard Dindon, Erin Shull as Marie Dindon and at least 15 other actors playing named characters, as well as an ensemble cast. The musical is directed by Se Layne, featuring choreography by Nathan Wilson and music direction by Steven Smith.
In 1984, the original Broadway production won six Tony awards, including “Best Musical” and “Best Score.” A statement from the Palm Canyon Theatre praised the original run for breaking barriers, “becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship.” A pair of revivals in the 2000s each won “Best Revival of a Musical” as well.
A 1996 Mike Nichols-directed film adaptation, “The Birdcage,” starred Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest, and achieved an Academy Award nomination in the category now known as “Best Production Design.”
The production will run until Nov. 10, with curtains opening at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.