“We are what we are and what we are is an illusion.” —Les Cagelles in La Cage aux Folles
That’s the situation in Music Hall, a 1988 play by French theater artist Jean-Luc Lagarce, running now in a 90-minute English-language staging from TUTA.
The role of the Artiste has been performed by women in the past; Jeffrey Binder takes it on in this production directed by Zeljko Djukic. Binder does an effective job of driving the character between extremes, from Miss Mannersesque grace to something more befitting Miss Manners’s evil twin. His look, devised by costume designer Natasha Djukic, made me think of an Avedon photo shoot circa 1955. Michael Doonan and Darren Hill provide strong support overall as the chorus boys, though I wish director Djukic had found more interesting physical business for them than a running gag about how hard it is to hold a pose.
Through 3/8: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM Den Theatre 1333 N. Milwaukee 800-838-3006brownpapertickets.com $20-$40
