Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Sieber and the Cagelles are, for sure, the main reasons to see this production (although the character actor Cathy Newman gives the show a hilarious sting in its tale). There's only one problem that emerges with Sieber's very fine performance — you don't buy the scene where his Albin tries to learn to be a man. It's not that Sieber has not taken care of the other side of the coin, it's just that his comedy reveals an actor who can play both genders with total ease. By going there and then wanting us to believe he can't, he wants it both ways. He can't really have it, but, well, it's "La Cage." He may as well try."
Chicago Sun Times - Not Recommended
"...Hamilton, dapper but wooden, tries to underplay his role, but he sounds mechanical. Sieber, whose range of voices is impressive, is showy but never fully registers his pain at being casually dismissed by Jean-Michel (Georges’ “accidental” son, who Albin nurtured). And even his full-voiced rendering of the anthemic “I Am What I Am” doesn’t quite connect as it can. In addition, there is very little chemistry between the two leads."
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"... The biggest problem lies in some of the casting. George Hamilton, the big-name talent in this production, is sweetly charming but simply not up to the task. As Georges, the owner of the La Cage nightclub, Hamilton’s stiffness and lack of energy slow down the pacing, while his serviceable but raspy singing and bland line readings feel almost amateur. And there’s no chemistry between Georges and his partner/star talent, Albin, who is beautifully played by much younger Broadway veteran Christopher Sieber. Indeed, Mr. Sieber is the real reason for seeing this production. Sieber’s rich, glorious voice wraps around Herman’s melodies and makes Harvey Fierstein’s clever lyrics and dialogue zing. As Zaza, Albin’s high camp drag personna, Sieber stops the show with this production’s best number, the loving “The Best of Times,” and with his poignant act one-closing anthem, “I Am What I Am.”"
Chicago Stage Review - Somewhat Recommended
"... The pace of the play is clunky and the execution of the story is awkward. You don’t believe the scenes with Hamilton or the chemistry between him and any other character. When he is on stage it feels like you are watching a dated television show and you get the impression that a mean joke is being played on him, but the real joke is being played on the audience. Still, there are some outstanding moments in this touring production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. Christopher Sieber’s performance (4 STARS) is a sensation and the chorus (3 ½ STARS) is pure joy. At a Hot Tix discount, the musical numbers (minus Hamilton) are a fabulous time. At full price, the production is an overall disappointing bait-and-switch novelty."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"... In this national tour, gone is the charm and warmth of the two lovers while the reduced Les Cagellas dancers stumble their way through the former show-stopper numbers. This lite version still has enough pizazz to please, even as a curiosity piece."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...The 72-year-old George Hamilton is still a dashing silver fox, but other than a recognizable name that is about all he is. Hamilton can't sing and his coarse speaking voice and colorless acting are no blessing either. I don't know that I believed for a moment that Hamilton and Sieber were a happily domesticated couple of twenty-some years, whose relationship is threatened by the insensitivity of their grown son and his intended nuptials to the daughter of a right wing fanatic. Hamilton trades on his familiar, devil may care grin to get him through a role that demands a lot more heart. His bland performance aside though, this is still a winning musical that races circles around the pallid, Americanized cinematic rip-off, "The Bird Cage"."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...Broadway in Chicago presents the Tony Award-winning LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. On the Riviera, the most glamorous showgirls are showguys! The star of the glitzy drag queens is the legendary Zza-Zza. She leads her *ladies* of the evening in tucking it in, kicking it up, and singing it out. Offstage, Zza-Zza is Albin, the flamboyant partner to the night club owner, Georges. When Georges’ son announces he is marrying the daughter of an ultra-conservative, the family scrambles to dim down their bawdy lifestyle. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES whips ass-slapping gaudy and sentimentally sweet into a frothy, fun frolic!"
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...This touring company, directed by Terry Johnson with some wonderful choreography by Lynne Page, fits very snugly into the smalles of the Broadway In Chicago major houses, The Bank Of America Theatre with a set that is the nightclub and smoothly adjusts to their apartment as well as the sidewalks of Saint-Tropez and a restaurant. The dancers are very masculine and compared to previous productions, these men have no pretense of being female ( in any way) but they are agile and acrobatic and certainly deserve the curtian call they are given, just before the stars-Matt Anctil, Logan Keslar,Donald C. Shorter,Jr.,Mark Roland,Terry Lavell and Trevor Downey- they earned it!"
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"... George Hamilton, who played a very different (as in nasty) gay caricature in the execrable film “Zorro, the Gay Blade,” is, it seems, atoning for it by playing another Georges, Albin’s long-time companion (the “plain homosexual”). At times more robotic than real, the 74-year-old Hamilton offers sturdy if unimpassioned support and really strains to sell the finale. But the tan remains indomitable."