Two men posing for a picture together.

ETC Theatre delivers a dazzling ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ with plenty of fabulousness


By Johnny Trlica

It’s a bright, loud, romantic, outrageous, and defiant celebration of living your life as you are, and not what others say you should be. And given today’s political climate, it is just as relevant at present as when it was first performed 50 years ago.

ETC Theatre in Galveston is presenting La Cage Aux Folles, a “celebration of life, love, and beating your own drum. Georges, the manager of a drag night club, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction, fall into a farcical adventure when Georges’ son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents to meet them. Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as “normal†when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans.  The results are a hilarious, heartwarming tale about the real meaning of family and the power of love and understanding to dissolve the walls between ‘us’ and ‘them,’†reads the synopsis on the theater’s website.

It’s based on a 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein, who was the star of the original Broadway production.

La Cage opened on the Great White Way in 1983 where it broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a gay relationship. The show’s Act One finale, “I Am What I Am,†received praise as a “gay anthem†and has been widely recorded. The original production ran for more than four years (1,761 performances), and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.

In 1996, Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest starred in The Birdcage, an English-language film version of La Cage Aux Folles.

In director Kim Mytelka’s showy, elegant staging for Galveston’s ETC Theatre, La Cage sounds great and looks fabulous, from swinging love duets to frenzied, high-kicking, Folies Bergere-inspired drag chorus lines. Her credits after 21 years of directing shows at ETC include The Full Monty, Gypsy, and last year’s incredible run of Rent.

Jennifer Dougherty compliments the production with infectious, energetic choreography, and musical director Robert Lewis keeps things moving.

A group of people standing on top of a blue floor.The cast is chock full of experienced talent, starting with J. Kyle Crawford as Albin, AKA Zaza. Kyle is thrilled to be returning to the ETC for his 14th show, having last been seen in 2022’s I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. He is a Theatre teacher/Director at Kranz Junior High School in Dickinson ISD where he is the current reigning Teacher of the Year for his campus. Crawford was also recently awarded Best Actor from Galveston.com. He has performed in a variety of shows including Spamalot, Misery, and A Tuna Christmas.

Albin’s partner Georges is portrayed by Island ETC newcomer Lucio Nieto. Nieto says he is honored to make his Galveston stage debut. Hailing from New York City and Los Angeles, Nieto, giving a nod to his mom, says he has found his home here in the Gulf of Mexico with an incredible community. Performance highlights of Lucio’s include “CB†in Dog Sees God (The Blockheads), “Mitch†in Gold where he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and in Foreign Lovers for Peccadillo Pictures. Nieto wishes to dedicate this performance to those who are healing in the queer community.

Matt Poole portrays Jean-Michell, Georges’s 24-year-old son from a brief heterosexual fling in Paris who was raised by Albin and Georges as “mother†and father. Poole is originally from Friendswood. Some of his favorite credits include roles in Rent, Hair, Avenue Q, Little Shop of Horrors, and Young Frankenstein.

Jacob, Albin and Georges’s butler (although he prefers to be called the maid) who dreams of performing in their show, is played by Justin Gonzalez. He is a Galveston native and studied Theatre and Dance at Southwestern University. He has had roles in Rent, Godspell, Next to Normal, Hair, and Spamalot.

Other members of the cast include Love Fillius, Lauren Eastin, Alex Petty, Erin Kate, and Patrick Olfers.

The two-act play will surely bring tears to the eyes of the audience with the score’s powerhouse anthem, “I Am What I Am.â€

La Cage Aux Folles runs March 10 through April 8 at ETC Theatre, 2317 Mechanic Street in downtown Galveston. Ticket prices start at $30 and can be purchased at www.IslandETC.org. Island ETC (East-End Theater Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

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