Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Musical revivals, removed from the bright lights of Broadway: LA CAGE at City Center, EPIC Players’ RENT, and THE LAST SHIP at The Met

• By drediman
• June 23, 2026
• No Comments

Just because the Broadway season has ended doesn’t mean that fans of musical theater should be bereft of opportunities to sink their teeth into new musical productions. Indeed, over the past few weeks alone, I had the great opportunity of catching a trio of notable revivals of Broadway musicals, which were presented away from the bright lights of the Great White Way (at least for now). Here are my thoughts on them.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
Encores! at New York City Center
Through June 28

This past weekend at New York City Center, I found myself at the Encores! revival of La Cage aux Folles (RECOMMENDED). In essence, the Tony-winning musical tells the story of an established gay couple who runs a successful drag spectacular on the French Riviera. When their son asks them to hide their relationship and their queer lifestyle in order to facilitate a meeting with his fiancee’s right wing parents, each of them must reckon with their notion of family and the things that are truly important to them. If the revival, pronouncedly directed by Robert O’Hara to embrace Black and Queer joy, isn’t quite the reinvention that Cats: The Jellicle Ball is, the production nevertheless noticeably alters the DNA of the musical, possible in large part due to the fact that the material itself is rock solid, namely Harvey Fierstein’s very funny and ideally structured book and Jerry Herman’s imminently hummable score. Indeed, the musical feels fresh, relevant, and almost defiant in this current political and social climate of intolerance of the “other”. As Georges, Wayne Brady is the real deal, an immensely charismatic matinee idol who sings and dances with ease. He deserves to be on Broadway regularly. Billy Porter brings his distinctively heightened performance stylings to Albin, and it’s more than a perfect fit. Although his performance will undoubtedly continue to grow in confidence, his Act One closer “I Am What I Am” is already a spine-tingling showstopper. More importantly, there’s real chemistry between their Albin and Georges, which renders some of the musical’s arguably schmaltzy passages with authentic heart. Porter isn’t the only scene-stealer — both Tonya Pinkins as the glamorous Jacqueline and James Jackson, Jr. as the “maid” Jacob light up the stage with their giddy and fully-fledged characterizations. The only casting misfire is Alaman Diadhiou as Albin and Georges’ straight son Jean-Michel. Compared to his onstage dads, he gives a bland performance, despite being an excellent dancer, as evidenced in the number “With Anne on My Arm”. Because of the limited rehearsal time (on 10 days!), the production noticeably and understandably becomes increasingly less polished as the evening wears on, particularly in the second act, when the key players rely heavily on their scripts in hand (which is actually one of the charms of attending an Encores! performance). Although the pacing can be tightened in places and some of Edgar Godineaux’s hiply modernized choreography can be fleshed out in a couple of the numbers, the spine of a worthwhile revival is already firmly in place. This is a La Cage that has evolved beyond its creaky past to comfortably speak to the here and now.

RENT
EPIC Players at A.R.T./New York Theatres
Closed

Before concluding its extended run at A.R.T./New York Theatres this past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a performance of EPIC Players’ revival of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical Rent (RECOMMENDED). The musical turns out to be an uncanny choice for EPIC Players, a theater company — this year celebrating its tenth anniversary — that is committed to creating opportunities in the theater for Neurodivergent and Disabled performers and artists. Indeed, I’m sure the award winning rock musical’s depiction of struggling young artists surviving and loving on the fringes of society resonates beautifully with the young, neuro-inclusive cast, as does its emphatic celebration of community and chosen families. Given the grounds on which the revival was mounted, the technical quality of the performances was secondary to the heart and grit of the performances, which was inspirational to behold. Among the relatively large company, I thought Eric Fegan, Jocelyn Elena Stout, Joshua Cartagena, and Cameron Walker were standouts. As the documentary filmmaker and the musical’s narrator Mark, Fegan brought soul and urgency to his performance, arguably turning out the driving central performance in this otherwise ensemble-driven show. Stout channeled the vivacity of Idina Menzel’s iconic breakthrough performance as the avant-garde performance artist Maureen. I was also taken by the genuine chemistry exuded by Walker and Cartagena as the gay anarchist professor Tom and the drag queen Angel, respectively. The couple’s disarmingly tender rendition of “I’ll Cover You” (perhaps my favorite song in the hit-laden score) filled my heart to the brim, and Walker’s delivery of the song’s aching solo reprise at Angel’s funeral in the second act was just about as heart-wrenching as I’ve seen it. I also want to call out Conor Tague, who brought a particularly fine voice to the role of Roger. Overall, the cast impressively navigated the demands of Larson’s sung-through musical (e.g., the complexities of the “Christmas Bells” sequence late in the first act were skillfully handled). Director Travis Burbee’s staging stayed true to the spirit of Michael Greif’s original Broadway production, down to the blocking and scaffold-centric visual elements. To boot, Steve Skinner’s original orchestrations were also remarkably recreated. That being said, the pacing and choreography were understandably re-calibrated to accommodate the needs of the cast, but these alterations were neither here nor there.

THE LAST SHIP
The Metropolitan Opera House
Closed

Also recently, Sting brought a revised and streamlined version of his musical The Last Ship (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED) back to New York in grand fashion, renting out the high brow Metropolitan Opera House for the engagement (the weeklong run was sandwiched between the conclusion of The Met’s opera season and American Ballet Theatre’s annual summer season). During its original Broadway run, I was a part of the minority that championed the musical, insisting that it was underrated. Set in a town in Northeast England, the work tells the story of a ship-building community, specifically as it relates to the impact that the demise of its sole industry has on its townsfolk. The score by Sting is exceptional — tuneful yet fittingly atmospheric — and the performances were grounded and character-driven (I also quite liked Joe Mantello’s sturdy and theatrical staging). With the expansion of the role of Jackie — played by Sting in the current world tour — and the head-scratching inclusion of reggae star Shaggy as a bizarrely moorless Ferryman-type spirit, this latest iteration of The Last Ship (featuring retooled book by Barney Norris) now comes across more like an ensemble piece. Although the touring cast features some exceptional voices and serviceable dramatic performances, I missed the earthy portrayals of the original cast, namely Rachel Tucker, Michael Esper, and Jimmy Nail. Sting, however, was excellent, imbuing the role of the wise but ailing character of Jackie with a believable lived-in quality. I also missed the rousing rowdiness of the pub scenes, which now come across a bit flat, especially on the expansive stage. As before, the evocative and emotionally-driven score — which beautifully melds folk melodies with Sting’s distinctive pop rock sound — continues to be the musical’s calling card, and it was performed with care by the touring cast. Visually speaking, the production filled the mammoth Met stage admirably. Featuring high resolution video projections framed by soaring scaffolding, the overall staging by director Leo Warner — which, alas, could have benefitted from tighter pacing, especially in the slow-moving second act — is more naturalistic and cinematically oriented than the original Broadway production (which was more stylishly suggestive of the musical’s setting). The Last Ship isn’t the only time this summer that a musical revival can be seen in New York in an outsized format. Next, month, a souped-up arena concert staging of the beloved classic warhorse Les Misérables, also on a global tour and arguably more suited to being pumped up, will be docked at at Radio City Music Hall.