Calling All Cagelles!

Broadway has plenty of leggy ladies singing and dancing—but only La Cage aux Folles has a cast of men in drag! The show, which depicts a

nightclub’s racy transvestite revue, is brought to life by the “Cagelles”—six men, dressed as women, who dance and strut around the stage in corsets, satin and feathers.

Logan Keslar, one of the Cagelles, is making his Broadway debut in the show. DS got him on the phone to chat about getting the job, finding feminine inspiration and dancing in heels. 

Dance Spirit: What was the audition for La Cage like?

Logan Keslar:
We learned a tap combination and a ballet combination and performed each by ourselves. Then we had to create personas and do

a runway performance. Dancers think auditioning for Broadway is straightforward, but you have to be able to express yourself in a very over-the-top kind of way.

DS: How do you get into character for the show?

LK:
The show’s director let us create our own personalities for our characters. Usually your job as a dancer is to make the director’s visualization come to life, but we got to help in this show. For my character, I think of powerful, sexy women like Vera Ellen and Ann Reinking. I also think about Jessica Rabbit with a hint of Britney Spears and the boldness of Lady Gaga. We have pictures of all of them hanging in our dressing rooms!

DS: How’s dancing in drag?

LK:
Dancing in heels is like riding a bike. Once you get going, you’re fine. The corsets we wear are really tight. But beauty is pain, and you’ve gotta look good out there!

Photo of Logan Kesler (third from left) and Les Cagelles in
La Cage aux Folles by Joan Marcus.