Based on the French play of the same name , the show tells the story of a gay couple, Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment , and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction; farcical adventures ensue when household dynamics intersect with an ultra-conservative politician.
Opening on Broadway in , La Cage broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship. The show's act one finale " I Am What I Am " received praise as a " gay anthem " and has been widely recorded. The original production ran for more than four years 1, performances , and won six Tony Awards , including Best Musical , Best Score , and Best Book. The success of the musical spawned a West End London production and several international runs.
Subsequent revivals have garnered considerable success, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in both and , as well as the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival in Allan Carr , who had produced the successful film adaptation of Grease , was eager to work in theatre and thought a musical version of the hit film La Cage aux Folles would be an ideal vehicle for his Broadway debut. With Mike Nichols set to direct and Tommy Tune on board as choreographer, Carr searched for executive producers and found them in Fritz Holt and Barry Brown, who immediately fired the entire creative team that Carr had assembled.
All of them eventually filed lawsuits, but Yeston alone won and later collected a small royalty from La Cage. Holt and Brown had produced the revival of Gypsy directed by Arthur Laurents , and they approached him with an offer to direct their new venture. Laurents was not a fan of drag or camp entertainment and thought Holt and Brown never would find enough investors to finance a gay-themed project at a time when, during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, homophobia was more intense than ever.
According to Laurents, when he met with Fierstein and Herman for the first time, they had restored both the title and locale of the original play but had neither a script nor even an outline for the plot.
