Content Advisory
SYNOPSIS: La Cage Aux Folles, upon which the hit movie The Birdcage is based, takes place at a famous drag nightclub in St. Tropez on the French Riviera. The club is owned by George, and the star of the show is his long-time partner, Albin. Together George and Albin have raised a son, Jean-Michel, who has returned to the club to tell them that he is engaged to a young woman, Anne, whose father is the extremely conservative Minister of the Tradition, Family and Morality Party in France. He has invited Anne and her family to meet his family, but asks that Albin not be present for the meeting, crushing Albin, who raised Jean-Michel as his son. However, when Jean-Michel’s biological mother is unable to show up, Albin steps into the role of his mother for the meeting between the two families, with predictably hilarious results.
LANGUAGE: There is no strong language in the play, beyond one or two very mild vulgarities (one use of “tits” and two uses of “bitch.”)
SMOKING/DRINKING: Many scenes take place in a nightclub, where drinking typically occurs, and champagne is liberally consumed. As this is a concert production, those elements will likely be minimized.
SEX: None.
VIOLENCE: None.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES?: Beyond the obvious fact that this is a show about two men who have raised a son together as a committed and loving couple, and the fact that one of the men is the star of a famous drag show in which the musical numbers are performed by men dressed as women, La Cage Aux Folles is a very old-fashioned musical that is really about the importance of family. The musical numbers are traditional song-and-dance numbers created by one of the great practitioners of the form, and the musical itself is sweetly earnest and heartfelt.