Harvey Fierstein to Join LA CAGE AUX FOLLES as Albin February 15; Grammer & Hodge to Depart

Four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein is returning to Broadway, starring as Albin in the 2010 Tony Award-winning revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. Fierstein won the 1984 Tony Award for writing LA CAGE, but this will be his first time appearing in the show. He will debut on Tuesday, February 15 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street) for a limited run of 12 weeks only. Fierstein's co-star will be announced soon.

The current stars of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, five-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer as Georges and Olivier and 2010 Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge as Albin, will depart the production on Sunday, February 13.

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.

"I've loved watching this new production of LA CAGE and think director Terry Johnson and the wonderful company at the Longacre have really mined the material for its humor as well as its heart and humanity," Fierstein commented. "I'm thrilled to get the chance to play Albin a mere twenty-five years after creating him. It will be a challenge to follow in the footsteps of all the brilliant actors who have portrayed the role before me. But I do have one secret weapon - I know how to reach the author for rewrites."

Harvey Fierstein made his professional acting debut at La Mama ETC in 1971 in Andy Warhol's only play, Pork. He followed that with appearances in more than 60 off off Broadway productions before he began his playwriting career. Early plays like Flatbush Tosca and Cobra Jewels led to his underground hit, Torch Song Trilogy, which transferred Off-Broadway in 1981 and then to Broadway in 1982 where it won the Best Play Tony Award as well as Drama Desk, Obie and Dramatist Guild Awards. Fierstein also won Tony, Drama Desk and Theater World Awards for his portrayal of the lead. Fierstein won his third Tony for the libretto of the musical La Cage aux Folles. His other plays include Safe Sex, A Catered Affair and Legs Diamond. Fierstein's starring role as Edna in the musical Hairspray won him his fourth Tony Award as well as another Drama Desk Award, New York Magazine Award and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance of the Year. This made him only the second person in history to win Tonys in four different categories.He recently completed a national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, playing Tevye, a role he played for more than a year in the show's 2005 record-breaking Broadway revival.

His television work includes "Nurse Jackie," "How I Met Your Mother," "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons". He was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the TV classic, "Cheers".

Films include Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Death to Smoochy and Bullets Over Broadway. His children's book, The Sissy Duckling, is published by Simon & Schuster and the HBO film version won him the Humanitas Prize. Fierstein was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. Fierstein is currently writing the books for the stage musicals of Kinky Boots, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and Newsies, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES made Tony Awards history 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 the 2010 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge) 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, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge) and Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright), four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge), Outstanding Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson) and Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright) and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES currently stars Kelsey Grammer as Georges; Douglas Hodge as Albin; Fred Applegate 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; Robin De Jesús as Jacob; Heather Lindell as Colette; Bill Nolte as Tabarro and David Nathan Perlow as Etienne.

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 (Kelsey Grammer) is the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. Partnered romantically with his high-strung star performer, Albin (Douglas Hodge), 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.

Douglas Hodge and Nicholas Cunningham are 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 ($132.50 - $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.