Why has there never been a film version of the musical La Cage?

I'm aware of the French film based on the original play and the American remake of that film starring Robin Williams, but there's never been a film version of the musical and I really can't understand why. It's such a great musical. The songs, themes, story, plot, characters, everything about it is phenomenal. Not to mention the issues explored in the musical are still being dealt with today, so I think it could be a potentially successful film. Anyone agree?

mmmmm

who would you cast?

that Travolta---he would be darling for this.

(and that's why I hope it doesn't happen)

I'm rather surprised some of that old black magic called stunt casting didn't come into play when the revival needed to stay open, and put Williams and Lane in the show.

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...the fact that neither of Herman's other two big hits weren't successful as films probably hurt it, as well. And, of his big three, I'd say La Cage is the least known.

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But Hollywood thinks, "Two Jerry Herman musical adaptations not only flopped, but embarrassed their studios."

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Kad, I think you are 100% right about thinking in Hollywood, but I must admit that for all its problems, I end up re-watching HELLO, DOLLY! every time it is on TV. On the whole, the musical numbers really hold up well.

Hello Dolly! wasn't a huge hit it made some money but not a lot. Calling it a flop is also inaccurate.

^ The Queen of Basin Street, right?

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And didn't Sondheim write songs cut from The Birdcage?

I actually think it could work given the political climate right now and questions regarding same-sex marriage. (I love the music, too, I'll admit it.) That said, I can't begin to think of who I'd cast.

^^^Why? What did Nathan Lane ever do to you? God, I hate that song!

Gay parents in red states aren't just a gimmick invented by GLEE. We no longer expect a young man to ask his future in-laws for his fiancee's hand or otherwise seek their formal approval.

We've had an uber-conservative vice president with an openly gay daughter in Dick Cheney. Didn't hurt his career one whit. He even actively lobbied Maryland legislators to pass their recent gay marriage equality bill. (Doesn't mean his karmic debt is repaid, but it's a start.)

The daughter of John McCain, the last GOP nominee, quite openly supports marriage equality as well.

My sister in Indiana has more openly gay friends than straight. And no, she isn't in show business.

Polls now show a slight majority of Americans favoring marriage equality. Despite his best efforts to create a wedge issue, it's hard to believe Rick Santorum's career would be derailed if his daughter married the heterosexual son of gay parents.

As I said, I found the dramatic situation dated by the time BIRDCAGE came out. It's even creakier now.

(ETA and come to think of it, at least in the films, it's not just the gayness of his fathers that the son tries to hide. He also asks his mother to pretend to be still married to his father, so he feels a need to hide their divorce. In 2012? I don't think so.)

Updated On: 2/27/12 at 03:10 PM

That makes a lot more sense, Phil. I remember the 70s quite well. Yes, it was more liberal in some respects, but gay liberation was only a few years old.

It made perfect sense that an entire farce could be built on the need to hide one's queer parents. Today, who would do that? And why would I feel sympathy for such a creep? If anything, the girlfriend should be hiding her fascist parents!

And for the record, I'm not opposed to gay anthems. Let's all join hands and sing "I Will Survive"! But there's something about the lyric to "I Am What I Am" that strikes me as uncomfortably wimpy; maybe because it is so literal. It has always reminded me of those people who tell you, "I don't take sh*t from anybody!" when you know perfectly well they crumble at the first hint of conflict.

Maybe the song would mean more to me if Albin at least sang it to his son, rather than to his mirror. (Of course, it doesn't help that he follows up in Act II by trying to hide his identity while pretending to be the son's bio mom. "I Am What I Am", indeed!)

OMG! Was the last revival set in the 70's? I saw it three times and although some of the costumes were evocative of the era in retrospect (esp. men's tailoring), on the whole the show did not leave me thinking it was set in any particular time whatsoever. I always thought it was "present day" - or at least "time in a vacuum" - but there was never a clear indication that I was seeing the 70s onstage. Was that in the Playbill and I just totally missed it?