La Cage aux Folles

From a very sissy mannered antique dealer to the flamboyant drag queen of St-Tropez, Poiret’s creation gave birth to Zaza Napoli, and to other unforgettable gay characters such as Georges, and also Jacob, or a heterosexual character like Mercedes.

The two actors Michel Serrault and Jean Poiret met for a radio series created in 1951. Jean Poiret would become an author of the same comedic genre. He would write and perform several plays with his now great friend and partner Michel Serrault, including La Cage aux Folles in 1973.
The two main characters of the comedy, Albin and Georges, are directly derived from the antique dealers, one of their most famous skits, performed for a television show in 1959.

For Jean Poiret, the epiphany came after seeing "Staircase," an English play adapted in Paris in 1967, in which a couple of men live a conjugal drama.

Poiret chose the path of comedy.
To summarize the stakes of the play, Georges and Albin run a cabaret in Saint-Tropez, in which Albin performs on stage to become a lead transvestite : Zaza Napoli. Georges secretly welcomes his son Laurent, the fruit of a very brief encounter with a woman 23 years before. Laurent must be able to introduce his parents to his future in-laws, in order to marry the daughter of a very right-wing politician. Laurent asks his father to erase all traces of homosexuality for this meeting, including the presence of Albin.
You see it coming.

The play stages characters who have become historical.
Inspired from Michou the famous creator of the cabaret in Montmartre, Georges is the owner of La Cage aux Folles. He does not perform on stage, he is the owner and artistic director. He directs Zaza and the other artists on stage, as well as Jacob, his house employee. Georges also has to deal with his son, his ex, and his accountant. Out of love for his son Laurent, he will try everything to make it easier for him to marry the lovely Muriel.

Laurent is Georges’ biological son. He was raised by his father and Albin. He is a handsome heterosexual young man, comfortable in his own skin and mind. A child like any other, raised by a same-sex couple. Laurent’s only flaw seems to be not been able to acknowledge his parents in front of others sometimes.

We also have Jacob, who is a household employee, an immigrant from Belgium. His American accent, dark skin, inability to wear shoes, and his dream of performing in drag on stage, are all elements used to mock him. He is severely managed by Georges, who is probably trying to make him pay for his past relationship with Albin.

And there’s Mercedes, who is a friend of Georges. He is a city employee, heterosexual, married and father of 6 children, who comes to perform at the cabaret. Mercedes is jealous of Zaza and is tired of always having to replace her every now and then. The character of Mercedes reminds us that the stage performance of drag has nothing to do with romantic or sexual orientation.

The heart of the play truly beats with Albin, who completely embodies La Cage aux Folles through the evocative power given by Michel Serrault. Serrault created Albin. Albin created Zaza. Albin is the first French drama queen, thanks to Michel Serrault, who maximizes his feminine potential, through his entire body, up to his voice that he pitches at its highest. Albin is never hysterical, he is a character who refuses any questioning of his very existence. Albin quickly understands that his presence sets a problem for Laurent’s marriage. But out of love for him, he will try to blend in and create an uncle character. But ultimately, it is in his best character that Albin will show all his talent : as a fake mom, Albin finds his true place again, his place as a parent, as a different parent.

The butcher, Mr. Languedoc, is there to provide contrast and to embody the role and stereotype of the heterosexual man. His rough behavior is pushed to its breaking point.

Jean Poiret’s creation takes an interesting counterpoint by making "normal people" the cause of trouble in the play.
The whole challenge of La Cage aux Folles consists of heteronormalizing Laurent’s family to please the future in-laws. All clichés about the appearance of men, whether gay or straight are scrutinized by comedians who push them to their limits as if to destroy them. Jean Poiret wrote a bunch of iconic scenes, such as this very famous breakfast scene.
And even better, the "victims" of bigotry are those who will find a solution to try to "save" the Dieulafoi family from disgrace.

Michel Serrault constructs several faces of Albin : the transvestite, the parent, the actor, the lead performer, the uncle. The actor’s daughter died while the play was enjoying success. Michel Serrault clung to Albin every night without showing any sign of mourning or despair.

In 1977 Jean-Jacques and Michel Roux took over the lead roles as the play broke performance records.

Some activists denounced an appropriation of queer culture overshadowing Queer productions. However La Cage aux Folles opened wide the door for LGBT subjects on French stages.

The antique dealers sketch on INA’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Q4nVDAb9I
Watch 65 minutes of the play on INA’s website: https://madelen.ina.fr/content/la-cage-aux-folles-68793