As La Cage aux Folles’ sassy maid, Michael Benjamin Washington climbs his way to Broadway stardom.
By Brandon Voss
Would you like to know everyone who’s gay who’s working on the production?” joked choreographer extraordinaire Jerry Mitchell backstage recently at Broadway’s Marquis Theater, home to the gender- bending, high-kicking musical spectacle La Cage aux Folles.
To be honest, it would probably be less time-consuming to list those who aren’t gay in the lavish revival of Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman’s 1983 hit (based upon the 1973 French film by the same name) about a fey St. Tropez drag nightclub-owning couple who must feign heterosexuality to impress their future daughter-in-law’s conservative parents. But as much fun as it is speculating on the sexual identity of cute boys in dresses, I had an interview scheduled with one of the show’s fastest rising stars, Michael Benjamin Washington.
Born in Dallas, the 25-year-old NYU graduate and Mamma Mia! alum plays Jacob (pronounced Ja-COBE), the ambitious butler-turned-maid of La Cage’s leading lovers. Whether strutting his stuff in a sparkly evening gown, French maid’s uniform, or aristocratic 18th century frock, Washington displays timing as flawless as his wardrobe and a floor-slapping flair for physical comedy.
Before I entered Washington’s modest dressing room, Mitchell had this to say about the three-named wonder: “He steals the show! We’re lucky to have him. He’s fucking spectacular.” Again, Jerry, tell me something I don’t know.
HX: Michael, I saw the show last night and you were marvelous! Your family must be so proud.
Michael Benjamin Washington: Well, my father, a lieutenant colonel, hasn’t seen it yet. But he’s so supportive because, hey, I’m paying my mortgage on my own. And this is Broadway. My mother brought me here when I was 12, 13, 14 — every year. She said, “If this is what you want to do, you have to see what the best do.”
Had you done any drag before this role?
I have an alter ego named Mahogany who I believe got me this job. I wrote a show [Mahogany: Reflections on Vanity] that I do down at Joe’s Pub that benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and last year Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman saw it.
Is Jacob anything like Mahogany?
He’s very far from Mahogany, actually; Mahogany is a woman and Jacob is a boy with a dream who likes to play dress-up, so I took a lot of inspiration from old movies. He’s not your raunchy downtown drag queen. For example, he aspires to be Bette Davis in the opening number. I think I play eight different personas in the show, from Medea to Josephine Baker.
I think I saw shades of RuPaul in there, too.
That comparison’s hard to avoid because I’m 6'1", leggy and a black boy. She’s the icon, so that’s a great compliment.
Your character in the La Cage-inspired The Birdcage became Latino, but how does your Jacob compare to that of the 1983 Broadway production?
Harvey actually rewrote the role of Jacob for this production, so it’s very different from the original. Honestly, I didn’t know La Cage before I went in for it. But the original happened at a time when people weren’t necessarily comfortable with homosexual themes on stage, so Jacob became so far over the top that you could just laugh at him. I found a way to be flamboyant and funny without being campy or minstrely, bringing a three-dimensional heart and soul to the role. [La Cage] was a revolutionary idea 20 years ago. To put millions of dollars into any Broadway production is a huge act of bravery, but to do it with a theme where your target audience isn’t necessarily homosexual? But at the heart is a family who must compromise itself to make someone else comfortable. Everybody can relate to somebody in this show.
How has the crowd response been?
Amazing! The first time we were in front of an audience and I heard laughter I was like, Okay, great, I think I know what I’m doing.
Do you milk the laughs or ad-lib?
You can’t. It’s a farce — slam the door in, slam the door out. It’s so timed. Any ad-libbing that has happened, happened in the rehearsal room.
And they said, “Love it! Keep it!”
Or as Jerry Zaks says, “That’s gold, honey. That’s gold!”
Tell me about working with these living legends of theater.
With Harvey, there’s some kind of kinship that we have and the marriage of ideas has been phenomenal. And Jerry Zaks? The man knows comedy and theater. And because he’s been in L.A. working on sitcoms, he has this really fresh, high-paced energy that you have to give yourself over to and trust. And Jerry Herman, of course, is wonderful. I only sing eight bars in the show, but he’s a big cheerleader of mine.
What about Jerry Mitchell?
I adore that man, and I can’t wait for the whole world to see what he can really do. What he makes these boys do is phenomenal!
I ran into Jerry in the hallway and, when pressed, he said the only thing the cross-dressing Cagelles bitch about is how much their hamstrings hurt, and the only thing they argue over is whose boobs are the biggest. But I want to hear about fierce backstage diva showdowns! What’s the scoop?
No scoop that I can give! [Laughs] There’s tension with any production, but so many of us already knew each other.
Do you think anyone will gripe, “Damn that Michael, always stealing the show!”
No. [Considers it.] They might, but my job is to honor the character. Michael is a very reserved son of a lieutenant colonel, Jacob is not. The more I can spread my wings on stage, the more I know I’m honoring him.
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HX, December 2004.