Four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and six-time Emmy Award nominee Jeffrey Tambor are the new stars of the Tony Award-winning revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. Tambor and Fierstein begin performances tomorrow night at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street).
Also joining the cast tomorrow night are Mike McShane as M. Dindon/M. Renaud and Tony Award-winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Rent) as Jacob.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret. This production is choreographed by Lynne Page and directed by Terry Johnson, who won a 2010 Tony Award for his direction.
Harvey Fierstein (Albin and Author) is a four-time Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-winning writer and actor. His plays include Torch Song Trilogy, A Catered Affair, Legs Diamond and Spookhouse. He won the Humanitas Award for his HBO animated special, "The Sissy Duckling," which is also available as a children's book. His acting film and TV credits include Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, "Nurse Jackie," "Cheers". On Broadway he's starred in Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Torch Song Trilogy and Safe Sex. Mr. Fierstein was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. When asked to take over the role of Zaza he'd written back in 1982 he said, "Be careful what you do in your youth. It may come back to bite you in the end!" He dedicates his performance to all the ZAZAs who have come before him.
Jeffrey Tambor (Georges) made his New York theatre debut in Sly Fox, with George C. Scott, appeared in Measure For Measure (NY Shakespeare Festival), and returned to Broadway in 2005 with Glengarry Glen Ross (Tony for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk for Outstanding Ensemble). His film career spans And Justice For All, Meet Joe Black, Pollock, The Hangover and Tangled. His television credits include "The Larry Sanders Show," "Arrested Development," "Max Headroom and Entourage."
Mike McShane (M. Dindon/M. Renaud). "Whose Line is it Anyway UK," "ER" and "Seinfeld." Mike has performed on the West End in Little Shop of Horrors and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Films include Prince of Thieves, Office Space, Tom & Huck and Big Trouble. He is a member of the Antaeus Theater Company.
Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Jacob). Broadway/West End: Rent, (1996 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical, 1999 Olivier Nomination). Film: Rent 2005 (Critics Choice Award Nomination), Descent, Flawless, Girl From The Naked Eye, I Am Bad, Nailed (Producer), Johnny Was, Went to Coney Island On A Mission From God, Imurders. Television: "Without A Trace," "Medium," "Law and Order: SVU," "Spin City."
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES made Tony Awards history last year as the first show to ever win the Tony Award three times for best production. The classic musical comedy won six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical. A Broadway revival won two 2005 Tony Awards including the Best Revival of a Musical prize. LA CAGE won three 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson).
LA CAGE is also the winner of three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright), four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson) and Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright) and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical.
The production has also been cited as one of the Top 10 productions of 2010 by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, NY1 and Time Out New York.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES stars Harvey Fierstein as Albin, Jeffrey Tambor as Georges; Mike McShane as M. Dindon/M. Renaud; Alyce Beasley as Mme. Dindon/Mme. Renaud; Chris Hoch as Francis; Elena Shaddow as Anne; A.J. Shively as Jean-Michel; Christine Andreas as Jacqueline; Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Jacob; Heather Lindell as Colette; Michael Lowney as Etienne and Bruce Winant as Tabarro.
Also starring as the notorious and dangerous Cagelles are Matt Anctil as Angelique, Nicholas Cunningham as Hanna, Sean Patrick Doyle as Chantal, Yurel Echezarreta as Phaedra, Logan Keslar as Bitelle and Terry Lavell as Mercedes. The production also features Christophe Caballero, Todd Lattimore, Dale Hensley, Caitlin Mundth and Cheryl Stern.
Georges (Jeffrey Tambor) is the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. Partnered romantically with his high-strung star performer, Albin (Harvey Fierstein), the pair live a charmed life-until Georges' son announces his engagement to the daughter of a conservative right-wing politician who's coming to dinner.
Nicholas Cunningham is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance to this production.
PS Classics, the label dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, released the New Broadway Cast Recording for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES on September 28. The recording is produced by PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker. PS Classics co-founder Philip Chaffin serves as Executive Producer.
The original production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES was one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 1980s. It opened August 21, 1983 at the Palace Theatre, where it played for over four years and 1,761 performances. The show won six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical, Best Score (Jerry Herman) and Best Book (Harvey Fierstein).
The new production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES played from November 23, 2007 to March 8, 2008 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, earning across the board raves and moving to the West End's Playhouse Theatre on October 30, 2008, where it was nominated for seven 2009 Olivier Awards, winning for Best Musical Revival and Best Actor in a Musical for Douglas Hodge and won the 2009 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical. The Broadway production opened at the Longacre Theatre on April 18, 2010.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES features set design by Tim Shortall, costume design by Matthew Wright, lighting design by Nick Richings, sound design by Jonathan Deans and wig and makeup design by Richard Mawbey. Musical supervision, orchestrations and dance arrangements are by Jason Carr. Musical director is Todd Ellison.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Fran and Barry Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bartner/Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise the Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergère, Arlene Scanlan/John O'Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein.
Tickets ($140.00- $39.50; Premium $251.50; Table Seating $251.50) are on sale through Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com/lacage and at the Longacre Theatre box office (220 West 48th Street). Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:30 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM.
