The Birdcage (1996)
The Birdcage was the link movie connecting Enemy of the State and The Lion King 1½.
Linked through Gene Hackman and Nathan Lane.
Both Gene Hackman and Nathan Lane appeared in The Birdcage.
About The Birdcage
"Come as you are."
A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen partner agree to put up a false heterosexual front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's conservative parents.
Directed by Mike Nichols
Written by Elaine May
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Top cast
Behind the camera
Box office
Awards
The film's ensemble won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast, and The Birdcage received a nomination for Best Art Direction at the 69th Academy Awards.
Soundtrack
Score by Jonathan Tunick
Composer Jonathan Tunick adapted and arranged three Stephen Sondheim songs for the film, including 'Can That Boy Foxtrot' (cut from Follies) and a new song, 'Little Dream', written specifically for the film; Tunick also incorporated dance/disco hits such as Donna Summer's 'She Works Hard for the Money', Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family', and Gloria Estefan's 'Conga'.
Movie trivia
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1
Mike Nichols was originally hired to direct the 1983 Broadway adaptation of La Cage aux Folles but was fired by producer Allan Carr; in 1994 Nichols secured the film rights and reunited with Elaine May, marking their first screen collaboration.
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2
Elaine May renamed Georges to Armand and Albin to Albert and reworked the prospective in-law characters into Senator Kevin Keeley and his wife Louise to address contemporary right-wing anti-LGBT sentiment.
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3
Nichols, May and production designer Bo Welch researched drag shows in Chicago and Savannah; after attending a South Beach drag show Nichols decided to change the film's setting from New Orleans to South Beach.
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4
Nichols initially pictured Robin Williams and Steve Martin in the roles of Albert and Armand respectively, but Martin turned the role down and Williams declined Albert due to Mrs. Doubtfire; when Williams chose Armand, Nathan Lane was cast and his Broadway run was postponed so he could film.
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5
Adrian Lester was originally considered for Agador, but he and Nichols agreed that casting a Black actor as the housekeeper risked racist undertones; Hank Azaria was cast and experimented with different versions of Agador, consulting a drag queen for feedback.
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6
Although principal filming took place in Los Angeles, exterior shots were filmed on location in Miami Beach, including the Carlyle Hotel, Ocean Drive, and the Art Deco District.
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