DATE: Saturday, November 1, 1997            TAG: 9711010051

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES CABARET BRINGS LOTS OF GLITZ TO NORFOLK

NEW ORLEANS has one.

San Francisco has one.

Now, Norfolk has one - a cabaret, complete with nightclub stage and girls who may not be girls.

Lots of feathers. Lots of glitz. And lots of maybes.

Miss Frances, the Southern-toned hostess in the gold dress, quipped, ``Welcome to the cabaret where the girls are stronger than the liquor.''

La Cage Aux Folles Cabaret was off and strutting, complete with high heels and more lip-synching than Edgar Bergen ever could have supplied for Charlie McCarthy.

You half expect Liza Minnelli to warble, ``What good is sitting at home all alone etc. etc.,'' but Liza is not here. But Patti LaBelle is. So is Diana Ross. And Marilyn Monroe.

Sorta.

These are female impersonators, moving in this weekend in downtown Norfolk at 424 Monticello Ave. - in the building that once, as The Judges Chambers, was known for jazz. It's across the street from Chrysler Hall, the theater that once housed a full-fledged touring production of its namesake musical, ``La Cage Aux Folles.''

Rodney Clements says that he and co-owner Carlton Greene have toured the country in search of ideas ``to bring something new to Norfolk - something classy, mainstream and fun. We're open to everyone, no matter what sex or race, but just to people who want to have fun. We're seeking mainstream audiences.''

Hot pink is the predominate color, including $15,000 worth of neon tubes. Velvet drapes adorn the backdrop of the 16-by-34-foot stage.

For before and after the show, there's a dance floor upstairs, bordered by numerous mirrors.

The opening show, which debuted Friday, is called ``Light Up the Stars,'' but, says Clements, there are actually three shows, which alternate.

``We'll have A, B and C shows,'' Clements said. ``Show A will be early, show B late, and show C will open the next night. Then they'll alternate so that people will have diverse shows - never the same on any given night.''

Dinner is offered from 5 until 11:30 p.m.

Clements said he studied similar clubs in San Francisco and particularly La Cage Aux Folles in Atlanta to learn what worked.

``We'll be experimenting with the menu until we get it right,'' he said.

Calling for auditions, he got 30 applicants for the 12 places in the current show. ``We were surprised at the number of qualified applicants locally,'' he said. ``Someone who can do more than impersonation is particularly what we want. We want male impersonators too. We're going to bring in top talent from around the country, maybe even RuPaul. We plan to bring in a show from Sho-Pro in Las Vegas. PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) has said they'll do a show for us, called `Fur is a Drag.' ''

The next locally produced show will be ``Christmas With Patti LaBelle.'' This will be followed by ``Juke Box Palace'' in January.

The ensemble opens ``Light Up the Stars'' with ``Big Spender'' from ``Sweet Charity'' and closes with a chorus boy lip-synching to ``Dames'' from ``42nd Street.''

Hostess Miss Frances, who has a high-swept blond hairdo that would make a beehive look anemic, wryly adds, ``Our girls just have a little something extra.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

WANT TO GO?

What: La Cage Aux Folles Cabaret

Where: 425 Monticello Ave. in downtown Norfolk

When: Two shows nightly, at 9 and 11:30, Wednesdays through

Sundays, dinner from 5 to 11:30 p.m.

How Much: $5 admission

Call: 625-3669

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