La Cage Tickets

La Cage
La Cage aux Folles is a musical play from a book by Harvey Fierstein, its lyrics and music are composed by Jerry Herman. It is based on the 1973 French play by Jean Poiret and subsequent 1978 French-Italian screen version. The story of the musical is based on a gay couple: Georges, who is the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub and Albin, his star attraction. The real dramatic situation starts, when Georges' son brings home his fiancee's ultra-conservative parents to meet them.

The musical has been presented, since 1983 and it has seen a lot of competition from several strong new shows that season. There are several inter-related themes of the musical, covering the idea that gays can have a long-term and very stable relationship and they are able to raise children like a normal family. Although, the gay theme was quite a risk at the time, when people were newly introduced to the disease of AIDS. The creative team, almost all of them were gays, felt that need of such kind of shows present the suffering from the illness and to fight against the fear, which had been generated due to the newly founded disease.

It was a considerable bold step of Broadway to present the theme on gay life as a musical, for the very first time. Still it was not considered to be a mainstream production, it was an old-fashioned production in the best sense, with elaborate costumes, exquisite sets, glamorous chorus girls and a lushly romantic score.

Productions
The musical ran for fifteen previews by Laurents and choreographed by Scott Salmon, and it was opened on August 21, 1983 at the Palace Theatre, it had for 1,761 performances. The musical was adopted by the West End production, and it had been opened on May 7, 1986 at the London Palladium, there it was presented for nearly eight months

The story of the musical revolves caround the Georges and his lover Albin, who is a star as Zaza at their St. Tropez drag nightclub. They are having a happy lifer together for years and their apartment is also home to their black maid Jacob. Georges' son Jean-Michel, who has a confused personality, off course due to the lifestyle of his father, arrives with the news that he is engaged to Anne Dindon. The father of the girl is highly conservative and keeps certain moral standards. The difficult situation arises, when Anne's parents want to meet their daughter's future in-laws. Jean-Michel has lied to his fiancee, describing Georges as a retired diplomat. Jean-Michel asks Albin to be absent during the visit. He also asks his father, to redecorate the apartment in a more subdued fashion. He thinks of inviting Sybil, to be there instead of Albin. The situation really hurts Albin and he leaves the house hurriedly.

Georges puts forward an idea to Albin, to dress up as macho Uncle Al, back at the chastely redesigned apartment. As Georges receives a Sybil is not coming, and Anne's parents are arriving. In a hope to save the situation Albin appears as Jean-Michel's buxom, forty-year-old mother. Jacob gets nervous and burns the dinner; it is decided to have a dinner at a local restaurant.

The owner of the restaurant is an old friend of Albin, as she has no idea of the situation, she asks for a song from Albin. As Zaza, he yields to the frenzy of performance and tears off his wig at the song's climax, revealing his true identity.

Later the parents of the girl ask her to break up with Jean, but she is in love with Jean-Michel and refuses to leave him. Jean-Michel, deeply ashamed of the way he has treated Albin, asks his forgiveness, which is lovingly granted. There is an arrival of press and so many other situations, leading to the happy ending of the play.