LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
by tony reverditto
THE GLORIOUS LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, is the only Broadway musical to win three top Tony Awards: One for the original production back in 1984 and then for both revivals, in 2005 and 2010. The cast from the original and most recent 2010 revival on Broadway included Kelsey Grammer and Tony-winner Douglas Hodge—which won the Best Revival Tony (Musical) that same year. La Cage aux Folles features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Harvey Fierstein and is based on the
play by Jean Poiret. The current tour is directed by 2010 Tony Award winner Terry Johnson, choreographed by Lynne Page and hits Southern California for three stops on its current leg. First at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, then The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa and finally in San Diego at The Civic Theatre before jetting off to Las Vegas. The story revolves around glitzy Saint Tropez nightclub owner Georges (played by George Hamilton in the
current touring production), and his partner Albin (played by Christopher Sieber, also in the current tour), who moonlights as the glamorous drag chanteuse Zaza. Feather boas and sequins fly, when Georges’ son brings his new fiancée and her conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair—testing the bonds of family and its very definition! Christopher Sieber has been a fixture on Broadway for the past decade, earning Tony nominations for his
portrayal of Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical and Sir Dennis Galahad in Monty Python’s Spamalot. He cur- rently has the privilege and challenge of bouncing witty repartee off a true classic Hollywood screen idol, George Hamilton. A timeless (and tan) 72, his films range from Where the Boys Are to Love at First Bite—and let’s not forget his recent stint on Dancing with the Stars. Hamilton has been quoted as saying ‘’I might have been a small-town doctor who grew up in Arkansas, had it not been for my mother and older gay brother,” who strongly encouraged him to pursue an acting career in the 1950s. Mr. Sieber took time out to speak with The Rage Monthly during his busy tour and this is the result:
Hi Christopher, thanks for taking the time to give us a peek into your life. My pleasure. No problem at all.
Congratulations on another successful run of La Cage. Thanks, it’s going pretty well and we have been
Christopher Sieber in La Cage aux Folles (c) Paul Kolnik
“There is a line in the
‘You will love us once you get to know us.’
show that says
I want them (the heterosex- ual audience) to walk away
with ‘it’s not who you love, it’s how you love’ and the bottom line is it’s about a family.”
touring for seven months. We are heading to Costa Mesa in late July and will continue the run ending in November in Toronto. You attended Forest Lake High School in Minnesota and after graduation set out for New York to study acting at the American Music and Dramatic Academy. When did you first realize that being an actor was in your blood? When I was in the third grade, I had a teacher who
saw something special in this Sieber kid. They put me in this gifted program called Omnibus and we would read novels and then sit around and discuss them. For me as a third grader it was challenging, but we also got to get creative and do skits and things like that and it kind of turned into this career. Then when I was in theatre in high school, my teachers said that I should go to New York; that was the place for me to be. Two of a Kind was a successful early chapter in your career; do you still stay in touch with the Olsen Twins? No. (Laughs) They went from 11 to 12 when we did
that TV show and I really have nothing in common with them. Back then, people would ask if I hung out with them and I said, “No, they are lovely, but I have nothing in common with an 11-year old.” Seeing myself in a sitcom with the Olsen twins was bizarre though, I couldn’t believe it was me when I watched the pilot. So, I’m guessing there is no talk of a reunion? (Laughs) Kidding! Good one, I seriously doubt it! But I do stay in touch
with various cast members. Remind Sex and the City fans about the character Kevin that you played in the series. I was the Masseur; I am the one that wouldn’t go
down on Kim Cattrall! I was in SoHo for four days shooting that one, they
took their time. I heard that when Harvey Fierstein decided to play Zaza, the drag chanteuse for the first time, his co-star dropped out after only a few performances. I understand that you were asked to step in to the role of Georges, just when you were about to return to Chicago and the role of Billy Flynn after a seven-year hiatus. What was the determining factor in your decision to go with La Cage?
JULY 2012 | RAGE monthly 53
SUCH A
DRAG!
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