One of my first assignments when I started working in entertainment journalism at the now-defunct movie magazine Premiere was to interview Nathan Lane for “The Birdcage.”

It was for a section in the magazine called “In the Works,” where we published a first-look image from a film with a 300-word article.

An English-language adaptation of the 1978 French comedy “La Cage Aux Folles,” “The Birdcage” stars Lane as Albert, a professional drag queen whose partner Armand is played by Robin Williams. Albert is asked to leave their house for a night when their son (Dan Futterman) comes home and plans a family dinner for his fiancé (Calista Flockhart) and her right-wing politician dad (Gene Hackman) and mom (Diane Wiest). All hell breaks loose when Albert shows up masquerading as Armand’s wife in full conservative middle-aged woman drag.

Related Stories

Ticketmaster Claims in Letter to Congress That It ‘Does More Than Anyone to Get Tickets Into the Hands of Real Fans’; NIVA and NITO Do Not Agree

Live Nation on Track for Biggest Year Yet With Record Third Quarter Earnings

This was 1996. The Mike Nichols-directed movie was a........

© Variety