There’s trouble in St. Tropez.
The delightful Tony-winning revival of “La Cage aux Folles” has two new romantic leads — Harvey Fierstein, as Albin, the high-strung drag queen, and Jeffrey Tambor, as Georges, the dapper nightclub owner who loves him.
Fierstein, who also wrote the script, is, as always, a wonder. Hilarious, joyful, touching, he’s a Broadway star from the old school.
His portrayal of Albin is a great argument for reinstating the Tony Award for best cast replacement.
But Tambor’s struggling.
And he knows it.
He’s hitting notes in some of Jerry Herman‘s lovely ballads that aren’t found anywhere on the traditional Western scale.
And he lacks the panache, sophistication and confidence that Kelsey Grammer brought to the part.
Production sources say Tambor is by turns anguished and angry.
His despair is palpable backstage, they say, and he’s also lashed out at his producers, saying: “You don’t have faith in me!”
A backstage source says: “He’s freaking out.”
Tambor responds: “The rehearsal process has been the most challenging experience in a long time, but with that said, it’s also been the most exhilarating, and I’m excited to be back in the theater and for everyone to see me come alive in this character.”
One of the producers, Sonia Friedman, is based in London, but she’s in town this week and is tackling the situation.
Two other producers, Fran and Barry Weissler, are as tough and as shrewd as they come. They don’t shy away from giving the hook to artists who aren’t up to the job.
But in this case, they, too, are scrambling to help their floundering star.
They’ve hired a high-priced vocal coach, and they’re flying in the director, Terry Johnson, from London to work with him.
Johnson already spent three weeks rehearsing Fierstein and Tambor, and things seemed to be going well.
But as soon as Tambor got in front of an audience, sources say, he lost his confidence.
I caught the Wednesday matinee this week and was struck by how frightened he sometimes looked onstage.
It’s shocking because Tambor is a first-rate comic actor. He was brilliant as Hank Kingsley, the sidekick on “The Larry Sanders Show.”
And he’s not one of those TV actors who can’t cut it on the stage. He gave a fine performance a few years ago in the revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and longtime theatergoers still sing his praises as George C. Scott‘s servant in the 1976 comedy “Sly Fox.”
Production sources say he recently had hip surgery, which may account for some of his tentativeness onstage.
But the big issue, I’m told, is a lack of confidence.
“We know he’s a terrific actor,” one person says. “We just have to get him to go for it.”
Fierstein, meanwhile, is bringing down the house with an angry rendition of “I Am What I Am.” He’s also getting huge laughs in a scene where he balances, hippopotamus-like, on a sofa.
He could easily upstage Tambor, but he doesn’t. In fact, their scenes together are charming.
“Harvey’s a pro,” says a source. “He wrote the lines, but he’d never tell Jeffrey how to say them. He’s generous with him onstage. He’s trying to help. We all are.”