Artist Spotlight: Norm Lewis and Michael James Scott of ‘La Cage aux Folles’

Broadway veterans Norm Lewis and Michael James Scott return to The Muny this summer in a landmark production of La Cage aux Folles, the beloved musical that inspired the hit film The Birdcage. This staging marks the first U.S. production of La Cage to feature Black actors in six principal roles. 

Lewis, who stars as Georges, made history as Broadway’s first Black Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and returns to The Muny following his turn in Les Misérables (2013). Scott, a graduate of the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, plays Albin — his first leading role on our stage after performing as Donkey in Shrek: The Musical (2013). 

We caught up with the longtime friends to talk about Muny magic, onstage chemistry, and the joy of telling this groundbreaking story about love and representation.

Q • How does it feel to be back at The Muny? 

Scott • It’s a dream to be back at The Muny. St. Louis is like a second home to me because I went to Webster University, I’m an alum of the conservatory program there, and in college I was working at The Muny in the ensembles of Cinderella and South Pacific. So The Muny holds a very special place in my heart. It just feels like home, it feels like acceptance, it feels like love and family. It’s just a joy to be back — and especially with this show. 

Lewis • It’s nice — I was here in 2013. I did Les Mis here, and I remember how well I was treated and just the camaraderie, the hospitality and how efficient everything was because it’s so quick. So I just loved being asked to come back and seeing the new Muny. And they’ve got a Tony, too.

Q • What do you love about working at The Muny? 

Scott • It’s unlike anything anywhere in the world. It’s its own beast. For those of us who are in the business and even outside the business, you hear “The Muny,” and there’s such gravitas to the name. There’s this thing — Muny magic — that happens. And as soon as you step onto the campus — Muny University, if you will — there is this thing that happens because you are so focused for this short amount of time, and you are all kind of in theatre boot camp for these couple of weeks, and you just do it. 

Lewis • It makes you really think about when you do major productions somewhere else and how much time is wasted. I kind of wish some of this were incorporated into other productions because it would be more efficient and save more time. But also, when you’re in a situation like this, it’s almost like being in summer camp. We’re all going through the same process. We’re all going through the same ups and downs. But in the end, it’s a great reward because the audiences are so giving.

Q • What do you love about the character you play in La Cage aux Folles? 

Scott • I love the unapologetic force that is Albin. It is not lost on me to be able to play a character who is so unapologetic and truly unafraid to put out the light that is within him. He can wear heels, he can wear pads, he can wear bras, he can wear gowns, and he can also wear a suit and tennis shoes and slip-ons and it will be OK. It’s also very inspiring to see somebody live in their skin and feel so completely uninhibited and so completely in their spirit. Albin lives in his spirit — that’s what I love about him.

Lewis • I had never even thought of myself in this show, and when it was presented to me, I said, “Oh, yeah, OK, let me dive into this guy.” Georges is a romantic. He’s in love with his husband, and the fact that I get to work with a really good friend of mine, Michael James Scott, is wonderful because we’re both very supportive of each other. But this character is someone who actually can be anybody, and I am just putting Norm into Georges. I’ve seen other actors put themselves into this character. I don’t think it is just one thing and not stereotyped or anything like that. So I love the fact that I can just present it in a way that is original. 

Q • Does he present any new acting challenges for you? 

Scott • Yeah, actually. This is my first experience in full drag. And I’ve never played a character who gets to fall in love onstage. When I think about theatre and the sort of archetypes of characters, this is a leading lady. This would be in that sort of category where she gets to fall in love with the man of her dreams and be soft and be vulnerable and be open. Those are challenges in their own way for me because I’m so used to being a showman. So to be able to sort of unveil those elements is a challenge, but it’s such a beautiful challenge to be able to just go there and give myself the permission to let go and be in love and feel what that feels like. 

Lewis • Not really — like I said, it’s me. It’s not Sweeney Todd, where I’m kind of locked into that character. It’s just being freer and getting the words down and all that stuff. But it’s fun, and this ensemble is beyond. They’re just so great, and I love watching their process. I can’t wait to see them do the show and see the audience react to them.

Q • What has it been like finding your onstage rhythm and chemistry with your co-star? 

Scott • Well, I’ve known Norm Lewis for so long. What I love is the history that these men have together and that they’ve grown together. They’ve raised a child together. So finding the connection and finding the thing that Norm and I can bring to this together with building upon our history and life, it’s been fun to find that as Albin and Georges — and to treat it like a normal couple. That’s what it is. This couple has the same problems as any other couple in the world. It’s been really fun to find the nuance of those characters. 

Lewis • You know, love is love is love is love. And we are good friends. Even though I wasn’t there when he grew up, we went to the same church in Eatonville, Fla., which is right outside Orlando. I’ve known him for years. This is a great honor to be with a really good friend of mine, so it’s easy.

Q • What does it mean to be a part of this groundbreaking production?

Scott • When I really wrap my head around the historic nature of what this production is doing — in St. Louis, Mo. — it is not only a source of pride for me, it is emotional, because it says that change has been made and that we are moving forward in a wonderfully exciting new space. And when I think about little Michael James Scott, seeing that one day he would be playing this character at The Muny — being part of the first Black couple to do this legendary piece — is groundbreaking. The fact that the leadership here has been so bold — to just sort of dare to do it and not think twice about it — is a breath of fresh air. It’s so inspiring and so humbling to be able to be a part of it.

Lewis • The fact that it is probably one of the first times that people of color have done the show is definitely important. It’s about representation, and that’s kind of where I’ve come from in my career. Being chosen as the Phantom, being chosen as Javert in different incarnations, people have come up to me and said, “Because I saw you, now I do this,” and so I hope that that’s the same in this regard, too.

Q • Do you have a favorite song or scene from the show? 

Scott • “I Am What I Am” has been an anthem for people for decades upon decades. I’m really looking forward to getting to do “I Am What I Am” at The Muny in front of 11,000 people — standing there in this ridiculously gorgeous dress by Bobby Pearce singing that song. 

Lewis • It’s hard to pick, because Jerry Herman wrote some amazing music, and listening to Michael sing “I Am What I Am,” “Mascara” and then seeing the Cagelles do their number, and the dancing, it’s hard to pick. I do love the songs that I sing, but I can’t pick one because it’s almost like having children. You can’t love one more than the other. 

Q • What do you want audiences to take away from this production? 

Scott • I want audiences to take away joy. I want them to take away love. I want them to take away inclusivity. We are the same — we’re so much more alike than we are not alike. For me, La Cage is like medicine for this time in a very polarizing world. If 10,000 or 11,000 people can come and sit and watch La Cage aux Folles in St. Louis, Mo., I think the world could be a better place.

Lewis • Again, love is love is love. I know that Lin-Manuel Miranda kind of coined that phrase years ago, but it really is about love is love is love, no matter who you’re with. I hope that they can see the relationship that we have, the very strong bond that we have. And I just want them to go away with fun and remembering songs like “I Am What I Am,” which is probably the most recognizable song out of the show.