The Birdcage is a queer comedy classic. While we’ve already reviewed it but we couldn’t resist another viewing, especially when we get to watch it live with an audience at Pride Of Our Footscray. This is Robin Williams and Nathan Lane at their absolute best and the combination is so much more than the sum of their parts. 

While looking back on this 1996 film with a 21st century reveals some problematic areas you can’t deny the quality and the iconicness (it’s a word in our dictionary) of this film. Here are five facts we love about Mike Nichols’ classic. 

5. It’s based on La Cage Aux Folles, a 1973 French Play.

La Cage Aux Folles (The Cage of Madwomen) is a French farce that follows the same premise, a gay club owner’s son brings his ultraconservative in-laws to dinner. As with all farces, hilarity ensues. In 1978 a French film version was produced. Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein wrote a musical version. It was produced by Allan Carr of Can’t Stop The Music fame and premiered on Broadway in 1983. Our beloved 1996 film takes the elements of this farce, moves it to South Beach and adds a sharp new screenplay. 

4. Mike Nichols was fired as the original Broadway director. 

The movie’s eventual director, Mike Nichols, an EGOT winner with film credits including The Graduate and Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, was originally involved as director of the 1983 Broadway production after hugely successful run of Annie, but was fired by producer Allan Carr. We’re OK with that as he may not have directed the film Silkwood in 1983 or indeed this film if that had gone ahead. 

3. Steve Martin was originally cast as Armand.

Nichols originally wanted Steve Martin as Armand and Robin Williams as Albert. Steve Martin turned it down as he didn’t feel he could bring the right campness to the role. Williams was reluctant to take on Albert as he had recently been overly flamboyant as Mrs Doubtfire. Nichols then pursued Nathan Lane, convincing producers to delay his Tony award-winning role in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and the rest is history. 

2. It topped the box office in its opening weekend. 

The film earned $18,275,828 in its opening weekend, taking the number one spot, a place it held for three consecutive weeks. A huge position for a movie centred on gay main characters. 

1. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. 

This one’s not a fact I guess but it’s a huge part of why we love the movie so much. The chemistry between these two is on another level. We’re on the record as loving Robin Williams and there are very few who can match him in a comedic sense. As a movie fan, watching these two go toe-to-toe on screen I feel like how I imagine 70s dads felt watching Ali vs Frazier. 

The Birdcage is without a doubt one of our favourites and if we’re even given an excuse to watch it again for the podcast we’ll take it. If you missed the live show, you can check out our review here.