Test your knowledge of La Cage aux Folles, the groundbreaking Broadway musical that captivated audiences with its story of love, family, and fabulous drag performances. How well do you know this celebrated show, which first premiered in 1983 and became one of the first major musicals to feature a homosexual relationship? Featuring music by Jerry Herman and a Tony Award-winning book by Harvey Fierstein, La Cage aux Folles not only broke new ground in theater but also introduced iconic songs like "I Am What I Am." Dive into these trivia facts to see just how much you remember about this influential production.
Adaptations
- The musical was adapted into a successful film, 'The Birdcage' (1996), starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, which brought the story to a broader audience.
International Productions
- The 2009 Portuguese production was noted for relocating the setting from St. Tropez to Cascais and including songs from other Jerry Herman musicals.
- The 1985 Swedish production of the show starred Jan Malmsjö as Albin and played for 152 performances in Malmö.
- The 1985 German production opened at the Theater des Westens in Berlin and featured Helmut Baumann as Albin/Zaza, and played for 301 performances.
- The Colombian production of 'La Cage aux Folles' debuted in June 1991 at the Teatro Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, Bogotá, featuring salsa singer César Mora and showman Fernando González Pacheco.
- The Mexican production ran for two and a half years starting in 1993 at the Teatro Silvia Pinal in Mexico City with Javier Díaz Dueñas and Gustavo Rojo playing the lead roles.
- The Estonian production in 1999 was the first staging of 'La Cage aux Folles' in the former Soviet Union, held at the Tallinn City Concert Hall.
- The 2008 London revival at the Menier Chocolate Factory featured Philip Quast and Douglas Hodge and received considerable acclaim, particularly for Hodge's portrayal of Albin.
- In Spain, 'La Cage aux Folles' premiered in 2001 at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo in Madrid starring Andrés Pajares and Joaquín Kremel.
- The first Thai adaptation of 'La Cage aux Folles' opened in Bangkok in 2010, with the story adapted to a Thai setting and some character names changed.
- The 2012 Korean production of 'La Cage aux Folles' in Seoul won 4 awards at the Korean Musical Awards.
- The 2014 Hungarian production is still running and has achieved over 350 performances, making it an enduring production at the Átrium Theatre.
- The 2014 Australian revival marked a major return of the musical to Melbourne, featuring noted performances from Simon Burke and Todd McKenney.
Musical Composition
- The 2010 production introduced scaled-down orchestration by Jason Carr, using only eight players.
- "I Am What I Am", the act one finale of La Cage aux Folles, became widely recognized as a gay anthem and has been recorded by numerous artists.
- Gloria Gaynor's rendition of 'I Am What I Am' from 'La Cage aux Folles' turned into one of her biggest hits and an anthem for the Gay Pride movement.
Notable Tours
- The musical 'La Cage aux Folles' became the first to win the Tony Award for Best Revival twice, highlighting its enduring popularity.
- The UK tour that started in 2017 marked the first time that production toured the United Kingdom.
Production Facts
- Harvey Fierstein, famous for his role in musical theater, replaced Douglas Hodge as Albin/Zaza in February 2011 during the Broadway revival.
- The 2023 Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production featured Carl Mullaney as Albin and was directed by the venue's artistic director, Timothy Sheader.
- La Cage aux Folles is a musical that premiered on Broadway in 1983, featuring music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein.
- The 2010 Broadway revival was recognized at the Tony Awards, winning Best Musical Revival, Best Actor in a Musical for Douglas Hodge, and Best Direction of a Musical.
- The 2010 Broadway revival of the show saw Douglas Hodge reprise his role as Albin, with Kelsey Grammer starring as Georges.
- The 2004 Broadway revival of the show began previews on November 11, 2004, and officially opened on December 9, 2004.
- Theoni V. Aldredge, the costume designer for La Cage aux Folles, aimed to make Albin's character as glamorous as possible, enhancing the visual spectacle of the musical.
- The original creative team hired by Allan Carr, including Jay Presson Allen and Maury Yeston, was dismissed before production began, leading to lawsuits.
- Allan Carr, who produced the film adaptation of Grease, originally intended to adapt a 1978 film version of La Cage aux Folles but ended up working from the original play instead.
- Subsequent revivals of La Cage aux Folles in 2005 and 2010 both won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, demonstrating the show's enduring popularity and impact.
- The original Broadway production of La Cage aux Folles ran for over four years, totaling 1,761 performances, and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.
- La Cage aux Folles was significant for its time as it was one of the first major Broadway musicals to focus on a homosexual relationship, opening at a time when gay representation in media was scarce.
- The musical is based on a 1973 French play of the same name and tells the story of a gay couple who manage a drag nightclub in Saint-Tropez.
