La Cage aux Folles is a musical with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein. It is a musical comedy about two gay men, Georges and Albin, who have had a relationship for over 20 years. Georges owns the La Cage Aux Folles, which is a nightclub that features a drag show starring his partner, Albin (Engleman, Jason). After twenty years of a wonderful relationship, Georges and Albin have to face the biggest challenge of their relationship they have ever had: meeting their son’s fiance’s parents. Albin has always raised Jean-Michel, Georges’ biological son, as his own child. But when Jean-Michel falls in love and becomes engaged to the daughter of a very conservative, homophobic politician, Georges feels like he needs to try to show a more “traditional” family to Jean-Michel’s potential in-laws. When Albin tries, he fails to take…show more content… In more recent years, the gay rights movement has gained a lot of attention, popularity, and support in our American society, and art is always an outlet people turn to in times of change. La Cage aux Folles exposes the life of gays raising children and calls for awareness into the integration of gay life into our American society. This is why I believe La Cage aux Folles has been revived twice in the past 10 years. One of the reasons the show was so successful is because of the beautiful music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.
Jerry Herman (born July 10, 1931) is an American-born composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theatre. He is most well known for composing the scores for the musicals Mame, Hello, Dolly!, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for Tony Awards five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles. In 2009, Herman received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Herman is also a recipient of the 2010 Kennedy Center