“ The crazy cagesays Alex Perron, it’s a bit like The idiots’ dinner Or Sisters-in-lawit’s a classic! Even if you know the puncheseven if you know the rusk scene or the dinner scene by heart, you always want to come back to it. » Created in 1973, adapted for the cinema in 1978, then as a musical in 1983, then again on the big screen in 1996, the play by Frenchman Jean Poiret is indeed to be placed in the must-see section.
For several weeks, Marcel Leboeuf, 70 years old, and Alex Perron, 53 years old, have been preparing to camp, in the clothes designed for them by the fashion designer Michel Robidas, the main characters of The crazy cage reviewed and corrected by Joël Legendre. “From the photo shoot for the poster,” explains Leboeuf, “it immediately clicked between the two of us. When we saw ourselves in our costumes, we knew straight away that it was going to work. »
While recognizing that the “mad dog” character he plays is demanding, Perron insists that the role of his colleague, who is on stage practically from start to finish, is also a tour de force. “For me, it’s a big show,” admits the man who spent the summer at the Théâtre des hirondelles for a Cruising in troubled waters. I have never had so much text, even when I played Molière. Not to mention the fact that there is no downtime. I expect our two-show Saturdays to be sporting! »
It’s a big comedy. It’s as festive as can be, people are going to have a lot of fun. But it is also the story of two families who did not choose each other, individuals who have divergent opinions and who will have to find common ground, a way to live together.
Georges (Leboeuf) is the owner of a transvestite club, La cage aux Folles, of which his partner, Albin (Perron), is the headliner. Everything is going well until the day the lovers learn that their son, Laurent (Guillaume Borys), plans to marry Muriel (Delphine Morissette), the daughter of the Dieulafoi (Geneviève Brouillette and Stéphan Allard), an ultraconservative couple who ignore everything about their profession and their sexual orientation. From this premise, as you can imagine, the most incredible situations will arise. Let us add that Annie Brocoli plays Simone, Laurent’s mother, and that Timothée Galais-Bayonne is Jacob, the flamboyant servant of Georges and Albin.
Human comedy
“It’s a big comedy,” admits Perron. It’s as festive as can be, people are going to have a lot of fun. But it is also the story of two families who did not choose each other, individuals who have divergent opinions and who will have to find common ground, a way to live together. These themes, 50 years later, are still relevant today, they have lost none of their relevance. » “It remains a boulevard,” adds Leboeuf, “we seek first and foremost to arouse laughter, but our characters, as exuberant and crazy as they are, we must play them while remaining in the truth. There is no need for heavy butter. In my opinion, this is the great quality of the way Joël leads us. »
With Sylvain Larocque, who co-wrote the adaptation of the play, Legendre transposed the action into a cabaret located in the gay village of Montreal, which means that the language and references will be very Quebecois. On the other hand, no update: the story still takes place at the end of the 1970s, which of course guided the aesthetic and musical choices of the show. “Joël and Sylvain dusted off the text,” explains Perron. There were obviously little things that had aged poorly. Ultimately, I find that we are entitled to a nice balance between the time when the play takes place and the time when we gather to perform and receive it. »
The assets of the Studio-Cabaret de l’Espace St-Denis, a room with 700 seats equipped with 180-degree LED screens, will be put to good use. “We’re in a Rolls-Royce,” says Perron. Projections offer so many possibilities, especially for cabaret scenes. » To the characters of drag queens, who already had a small role in the play, Joël Legendre chose to give more space. So, even before the show begins, Mercédès (Rainbow), Salomé (Michel Dorion), Francis (Tracy Trash) and Zorba (Nana) will be there to welcome the audience.
We can expect a flood of feathers and sequins, explains Perron: “At intermission, the drag queens do a long disco number that they largely contributed to creating. This will be an opportunity for them to show the richness of their work, to shine with all their lights. » “It’s very touching to see how happy the drag queens are to be part of the team,” confides Leboeuf. I mean there is no distinction between them and us. We’re all part of the same show. »