A Tale of Two Shows!

“La Cage!” a la Frank! Twenty one years after it first debuted on the Vegas Strip, Frank Marino’s “La  Cage” is still one of the best shows in town! It’s well produced, well-timed, and highly entertaining. Marino is, as always, the consummate performer, host, and mistress of ceremonies.

He is also funny (as Joan Rivers, and as himself), and ever so glamorous in his custom designer gowns - a man who truly knows how to work a stage, and an audience, with wit, beauty, and a highly polished sense of style!  And although the location, the Riviera Casino, has faded a bit, Frank, and “La Cage” are better than ever!

You'll See Stars!
In “La Cage,” Marino is supported by an incredibly talented cast of performers who are stars in their own right, and who create illusions so real you’d swear you were seeing the real performers strutting up and down the stage just a few feet away from you. And you know, in some cases, I think these guys have actually transcended the artistry of the performers to whom they are paying tribute. I mean, can you be more Cher than Cher? More Bette than Bette? Or more Britney than Britney? (OK. Maybe that’s not so hard these days. But being Britney when she was at the top of her game, well, that’s another story!) In any event, after seeing this show, I definitely think some of these performers actually outshine the Stars!

Everyone who sees “La Cage” will have their favorites. Some people actually go to see the show because they are die-hard fans of the stars the “La Cage” cast impersonate. Others come to see the show because of they are intrigued by the whole idea of men impersonating women. (I know. It is hard to believe, but there really are still a few people out there who have never seen a drag queen!)

I was particularly amused during the show when the woman next to me asked her friend “where on earth do you think that guy doing Cher puts his ‘thing’?” (And I must confess that, despite having seen lots of female impersonators, this outfit definitely gave one pause to think such thoughts!)

My own favorites were many and varied (if you loved everybody can you even have favorites?!?), and included Steven Wayne (as Cher and Celine Dion), Brent Allen (as Bette Midler and Judy Garland), and the ever-so-funny Tammy Spraynett (who also performed as “Queen-sized Madonna”). I could go on...

When you go to see “La Cage,” be ready for a fast-paced and high energy performance. The time literally flew, by as one flawless performer after another came out and tore the house down. And despite the fact that this was by no means a short show, the audience (at least the night I went) was so energized by it that I think we could have all sat right there and watched it all over again!

Tony and Tina’s Las Vegas Wedding.

I have to confess that when I was invited to see Tony and Tina’s Las Vegas Wedding at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas, I was not convinced that it was a show I wanted to see. After all, the whole “marriage” thing is a bit of a sensitive topic for most gay people, and while I am not militant about marriage equality, it IS something I care about, and something I think about whenever the topic of “marriage” comes up. Still, I thought, it’s supposed to be funny, and it’s supposed to be entertaining. What can it hurt?

It turns out, it didn’t hurt at all. Once I got past my personal baggage, I actually found myself enjoying Tony and Tina’s Las Vegas Wedding. And although I did not join the limbo line, in the end, I had a really good time.

First Impressions.

The first thing you have to understand about Tony and Tina’s Las Vegas Wedding is that the moment you step into the showroom, you are no longer an observer. Rather, you are transformed into a wedding guest - a participant in this celebration of life, love and extreme dysfunction. It takes a minute to get the full impact of just what that means, but once a couple of the performers come up to you and start sharing stories, gossip, and/or personal observations, you come up to speed pretty quickly. And when the show starts, appropriately enough with the wedding procession and the wedding ceremony itself, you’ll find that you’ve been completely pulled into the often funny, irreverant, and even poignant madness that is Tony and Tina’s Las Vegas Wedding!

A Story Everyone Can Relate to.

Everybody knows somebody who’s had a wedding just like Tony and Tina’s. And although you may not relate to every character, you’re sure to relate to some of them. They are archetypes - Tony’s overbearing and overly macho father - Tina’s domineering mother - the VERY pregnant bridesmaid the horny groomsman - the bride’s (clearly gay) brother - the tipsy priest who performs the ceremony. We all know one or more of them, and have seen them in action at somebody's wedding!

Singing, Dancing, & Clowning Around.

Two characters in Tony and Tina’s Wedding stand a bit outside the foibles of the other characters, and to them, falls the responsibility of keeping the show moving along to its inevitable conclusion (although they do it in strikingly different ways). To the first, Vinnie Black, the caterer/nightclub owner/entertainer/comedian who hosts and caters the wedding, falls the difficult responsibility of being the show’s “clown.” It’s a tough role, especially when compared to the others, and was my least favorite, because the character was written as a stereotype of a stereotype. As a result, his was a difficult character to like, and an even more difficult character to find amusing.

The second character whose role it is to keep the show moving forward, and the audience entertained, is the wedding singer, Donny Dulce. Dulce, expertly played by singer/actor Larry Atello, actually goes beyond all expectation with a performance that is at once unexpected, and powerful. He and his band, Fusion, create a real party atmosphere that not only energizes the cast, but also gets the audience up and moving. I was actually surprised to see how completely mesmerized some audience members became! They sang, they danced, they asked to have pictures taken with the wedding party - it was all a bit surreal at one point, but funny, even to the perverse and jaded writer hiding deep within me.