‘La Cage’ a little less risque, but still fun

Friday, Dec. 13, 2002 | 9:33 a.m.

What: "An Evening at La Cage."

When: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Wednesdays through Mondays. Dark Tuesdays. Dark Dec. 17 through Dec. 26, and Jan. 1.

Where: Riviera's La Cage Theater.

Tickets: $38.

Rating: *** 1/2

"An Evening at La Cage" is an evening well spent, sort of like visiting a museum to see what society once found scandalous.

Female impersonators have amused audiences and tweaked the noses of prudes since the days of vaudeville, and probably hundreds of years before that.

But four years after the homosexual characters on the NBC series "Will and Grace" became widely accepted and countless other series flaunting sexual behavior have surfaced -- what's the big deal about men in dresses?

Not much.

Finocchio's, the internationally renowned female impersonators' nightclub in San Francisco, set the standard for this form of entertainment when it opened in 1936. However, the venue suffered from a dwindling audience after 63 sequined years and closed its doors in 1999.

But "An Evening at La Cage" keeps on strutting its stuff at the Riviera's La Cage Theatre, as well it should.

With 17 years (and more than 13,000 performances) under its bonnet the production continues to draw throngs of middle-aged, middle Americans who might not be as easily shocked as their parents -- but who can still enjoy good entertainment.

"La Cage" is a fun evening out, even though a few of the routines and some of the performers' characters may be somewhat dated, even passe -- Whitney Houston no longer seems of any importance; Liza Minnelli's star shone brightly but briefly and she hasn't done anything newsworthy in years (except get married) and Tina Turner is on the verge of retiring.

And what's with Michael Jackson?

Lane Lassiter has been performing his Jackson routine at La Cage for about 10 years -- long enough for Jackson to have turned sour over time.

Lassiter does a dead-on Jackson, and is one of the highlights of the show as he dances to "Thriller" and "Bad." But perhaps his routine should be updated to more accurately reflect the oddity his character has become.

Most of the actors bare uncanny resemblances to the celebrities they portray as they lip-sync through the fast-paced, 75-minute production.

Chris Woods, who also performs as Diana Ross, looks so much like Houston he seems almost anorexic. Larry Edwards is energetic as Turner and Patti La Belle; Sammy Gonzales is equally energized as Minnelli singing "New York, New York" and "Cabaret."

Two of the closest in appearance to their characters are Steven Wayne, as Celine Dion and Cher; and John Bloss as Reba McEntire. Bloss also performs a revealing bit in the show, in which he takes off his female makeup while lip-syncing Charles Aznavour's "What Makes a Man," giving the audience a peek behind the mask.

Jimmy Emerson, overweight but light on his feet, is one of the most popular performers in the show. He has an arsenal of impersonations to draw from -- among them Roseanne and Anna Nicole Smith.

Most recently he took on the character of Madonna's big sister (wearing a Scud-missile bra) and Tammy Spraynette, whose breasts seem to have a life of their own under an oversized T-shirt.

Emerson recently was named the permanent guest host of "La Cage," to fill in for Frank Marino whenever Marino is unable to perform.

Marino, of course, is the star of the show -- he and a dozen-or-so regal evening gowns designed by Bob Mackie and valued between $1,000 and $5,000 apiece.

As Joan Rivers, Marino is hard to beat. He has Rivers' smug, abrasive, insolent personality down pat. He's good enough to have been given a 10-year contract two years ago, worth $10 million, which should keep him in gowns and wigs for years to come.

After an opening number by the "La Cage" dancers, Marino strolls onstage in the first of his Rivers costumes and warms up the audience with a few jokes -- most of them a little off-color and sprinkled with obscenities.

When his standup routine ends, Marino introduces the first impersonator. He returns to introduce each subsequent act, each time wearing a different costume and telling jokes, whose topics range from Anna Nicole to Viagra.

There is only one problem with Marino's appearance.

When the impersonator adopted the Joan Rivers persona more than 20 years ago, Rivers had not yet become infatuated with plastic surgery. Today, she has had so many face lifts, Marino's makeup makes him look more like Joan Rivers than does Joan Rivers.com