La Cage aux Folles (play)

For other uses, see La Cage aux Folles.

La Cage aux Folles
Written by	Jean Poiret
Characters	Georges Albin "Zaza" Francis Salomé Jacob Mercédès M. Tabaro Zorba Laurent M. Languedoc M. Dieulafoi Mme Dieulafoi Muriel Simone
Date premiered	1973
Place premiered	Théâtre du Palais-Royal Paris, France
Original language	French
Genre	Comedy; farce
Setting	a nightclub in St. Tropez, France.

La Cage aux Folles ([la kaʒ o fɔl], "The Cage of Madwomen") is a 1973 French farce by Jean Poiret^[1] centering on confusion that ensues when Laurent, the son of a Saint Tropez night club owner and his gay lover, brings his fiancée's ultraconservative parents for dinner. The original French production premièred at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal on 1 February 1973 and ran for almost 1,800 performances. The principal roles were played by Jean Poiret and Michel Serrault. A French-Italian film of the play was made in 1978 (with two sequels La Cage aux Folles II (1980), directed by Édouard Molinaro^[2] and La Cage aux Folles 3: 'Elles' se marient (1985), directed by Georges Lautner.) In 1983, Poiret's play was adapted in the United States as a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman^[3] and later remade as the American film The Birdcage.^[4] A new translation by actor Simon Callow premiered at the Park Theatre (London) in 2020.^[5]

References

1. "Jean Poiret". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
2. Perrone, Pierre (19 December 2013). "Edouard Molinaro: Film director whose comedy 'La Cage Aux Folles' played a part in establishing mainstream acceptance of gay couples". The Independent. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
3. "La Cage aux Folles". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
4. "The Birdcage". IMDB. IMDB.com, Inc. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
5. "Read Reviews for the La Cage Aux Folles [The Play] in London | Playbill". Retrieved 29 March 2023.