Luke Rainey Photo by Ethan Kaminsky

You are spot on if your mind flew to La Cage aux Folles, that dash of Broadway flamboyance, now treading the boards at Palm Canyon Theatre.

Based on a long-running French farce by Jean Poiret, the plot centers on Georges, the gay owner of a St. Tropez transvestite nightclub, Zaza (Albin) the club's star (and his melodramatic spouse), and Jean-Michel, the son they raised–born of George's one-night bout of alcohol-fueled "Why not?" heterosexuality–who announces his intention to marry the daughter of an oppressively conservative politician.

The world embraced the 1978 film adaptation with Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault, though returns diminished on its two sequels. (A 1996 reboot called The Birdcage was a hit with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.)

Early plans for a New Orleans-centered version called The Queen of Basin Street with a score by Maury Yeston (Nine, Titanic) and Mike Nichols and Tommy Tune as director and choreographer were abandoned. The version that succeeded it opened in 1983 and ran for four years. It won six Tony Awards, famously besting Stephen Sondheim and Sunday in the Park with George, including Best Book of a Musical (Harvey Fierstein), Best Original score (Jerry Herman), Best Direction of a Musical (Arthur Laurents), and Best Musical, and saw Tony-winning revivals in 2004 and 2010.

Groundbreaking for its time, La Cage aux Folles may seem quaint in the world of RuPaul and Kinky Boots. It can also feel problematic–sort of a gay Flower Drum Song–with its swishy stereotypes and over-embrace of heteronormative values even as it appears to subvert them. (The song "Masculinity" requires a particularly deft touch.) In the right hands, though, the central themes of respect, acceptance, gratitude and love–laced with more than a soupçon of guts and glitter–can make for a sparkling, even moving evening of theatre.

Unfortunately, that is not currently the case at the Palm Canyon Theatre. What should be frothy and bubbly feels leaden, and too many performer limitations undermine the proceedings.

The best moments come from Luke Rainey as Georges. Handsome, assured, kind and patient, he hits all the right marks as both the debonair club owner and the frazzled family man trying to bridge the gaps and keep the peace between his spouse and his son, his spouse and his other performers, and his spouse and himself. Rainey also sings well and generally confidently, which is important since most of the score relies on the two leads.

Which brings us to Ron Coronado as Albin and Zaza, who brings a great visual style to the role but severely under-delivers in key areas. Responsible for the score's two biggest anthems ("I Am What I Am" and "The Best of Times"), Coronado is simply unable to rise to the bravura either song requires, too often fading out on the money notes in what sounds like either allergy congestion or a lack of breath control. His comedy is also too flaccid and obvious. Zaza is a legend in her own mind, but still talented enough to know how to work the audience, on stage or off, without devolving into bad (and seemingly endless) celebrity impressions or stock gestures. Coronado's approach is insufficiently nuanced to achieve the Norma Desmond level of hauteur and knowing self-delusion the dialogue can handle. (Ironically, both characters are desperate to resurrect their interpretation of the Salome story.)

Where Coronado does succeed, and beautifully so, is in the pathos. There is such a sweetness about him in seemingly unguarded moments. The palpable hurt on his face when betrayed by life and people he loves is heartbreaking and you want to comfort him and assure him all will be well by the finale.

The source of that hurt is Jean-Michel, the boy they raised when the woman who birthed him found motherhood too inconvenient. It's a largely thankless role and in the performance of Ian Ferris, who struggles mightily to attempt the "With Anne on My Arm" melody line, it also strains credulity. This boy has been hanging around with the Cagelles too long.

Ferris might have been better cast as Jacob, the domestic whose service orientation is primarily in the furtherance of his fantasy career, but then we would have been deprived of Raul Valenzuela in the role. Valenzuela revels in his more-is-more métier as the hysterical, calculating, mischievous supplicant at the sequined altar of the glamour. It's a fearless, unrestrained, out there, no holds barred performance that could have been cringe-worthy, but instead sparkles. Zaza better watch her satin-draped back.

Other watchable company members include the reliable Donald Kelley as the defined villain, conservative Edouard Dindon, and among the Cagelles, Derek Shopinski as the statuesque wise-cracking (all the time) and whip-snapping (most of the time) Hanna, and Adam Hieter as the seen-it-all, get-off-my-lawn Mercedes.

Among the technical pleasures are the projections by Nick Edwards, with a nicely deployed motion-tracking element. Unfortunately, the decision (or need) to keep a shimmery drape as a constant backdrop fights some of his excellent work. The costumes by resident designer Derek Shopinski are also up to the task and reflect the characters well, particularly given the surely budget-straining challenge of creating so many multi-purpose performance outfits for the Cagelles.

Overall, the production feels under-rehearsed and under-directed as managed by Se Layne. The choreography by Nathan Wilson, which could have elevated and energized things, reads as extremely basic yet still challenging to the company trying to get through it.

A trip to St. Tropez should be fizzy and bright, filled with romance, discovery, and perhaps a little education. A trip to La Cage aux Folles should be a bit naughty, a bit challenging, and a lot of fun. Excepting the too-few gifts already noted, traveling with in this company felt listless, tentative, and not ready for prime time. Perhaps things will improve by the end of the run.

La Cage aux Folles runs through November 17, 2024, at Palm Canyon Theatre, 538 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs CA. Tickets are $20-$41. For tickets and information, please visit palmcanyontheatre.net or call 760-323-5123.

Cast: Ron Coronado (Albin/Zaza), Luke Rainey (Georges, Ian Ferris (Jean-Michael), Taylor Graham (Anne), Donald Kelley (Edouard Dindon), Erin Shull (Marie Dindon), Raul Valenzuela (Jacob), Jana Giboney (Jacqueline), Darin MacLeod (Francis), David Brooks (M. Renaud), and Michele Davis (Mme. Renaud). The Cagelles: Derik Shopinski (Hanna), Adam Hieter (Mercedes), Jimmy Ashmore (Phaedra), Jackson Enzler (Bitelle), John Rathgeb (Monique), Timothy Rathkey (Odette), Noah Wahlberg (Dermah), Alicia Wilson (Angelique), and Sanai Wright (Clo-Clo). Ensemble: Argenis Espinoza, Terry Huber, Lisa Walters, and Gina Zollman.