Watching Robin Williams and Nathan Lane portray a gay couple attempting to act straight to impress their son’s fiancée's parents in The Birdcage is pretty hilarious. Lane’s drag queen alter ego Starina is as poignant and memorable as his girlish scream. Tempting as it is to burst into a chorus of “We Are Family,” we should note that the flick is an adaptation of a 1978 foreign film, which is based on a French play. Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman morphed that play into the musical La Cage aux Folles, which translates to “the cage of mad women.”
Williams and Lane’s characters are based on Georges and Albin, two crazies in their own right. The movie parallels the musical pretty closely, and (spoiler alert) eventually leads to a happy ending.
To catch a live performance of the glitzy musical comedy, head to Phoenix Theatre.
Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., March 17, 2 p.m.; Sun., March 24, 2 & 6:30 p.m.; Wed., March 27, 1 p.m.; Sat., March 30, 8 p.m.; Sun., March 31, 6:30 p.m.; Sat., April 6, 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., April 7, 2 p.m. Starts: March 13. Continues through March 23, 2013
