La Cage Aux Folles

La Cage Aux Folles is French for “birds of a feather,” and it was the hilarious ‘70’s foreign comedy that became a major hit in America, and spawned the hilarious 1997 remake The Bird Cage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. Now La Cage Aux Folles is back on stage, and is still hysterically funny after all these years.

La Cage Aux Cult

La Cage Aux Folles became a major cult hit when it came to America in the late ‘70’s, it played at one movie house for over a year, and when it was turned into a comedy musical in 1983, it was also a major smash, playing for close to two thousand shows, and winning a number of Tonys, including Best Musical, Book and Score.

La Cage Aux Folles is about two gay men living in St. Tropez, and one of them learns his son is about to get married. Hilarity ensues when the son and his fiancé come over to meet the family, and they try very hard to hide the fact that they are gay. La Cage Aux Folles has proven itself to be French farce at its hilarious best, and it still holds up after all these years.

La Cage Aux Folles Then and Now

La Cage Aux Folles was originally a 1973 stage play that was adapted into a 1979 film. Then it was adapted into an American musical in 1983 (there are also two film sequels to La Cage Aux Folles, as well as the American remake The Birdcage, written and directed by American comedy geniuses Elaine May and Mike Nichols).

The 1973 play was a major success, and was seen by over a million people, as was the film version, which was the most successful foreign film of its time, and the 1983 musical, which was put together by Harvey Fierstein (also a Tony winner for Brighton Beach Memoirs), and Jerry Herman (who composed the scores for Hello Dolly and Mame and has a Lifetime Achievement Tony). It also won Six Tonys out of nine nominations, and also had a successful run on London’s West End.

La Cage Aux Folles has proven a major success every time it comes back. A 2004 revival won the Tony for Best Revival, and a 2008 revival won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival. The current revival was nominated for eleven Tonys.

The critics have also raved over the current revival of La Cage Aux Folles. The New York Times called it a “warm, winning production.” Theater critic Steven Suskin called it “funny, heartwarming and terrific.” Theater critic Adam Feldman declared it, “The musical revival of the year.”

In addition to winning a Tony for Best Revival, the current incarnation of La Cage Aux Folles has won also won Tonys for Best Actor and Director. It has also won three Drama Desk Awards, for Best Musical Revival, Best Actor and Best Costume Design.