Wilson Jermaine Heredia, one of the original stars of Rent and the 1996 Tony Award-winner for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, will join the cast of the Tony Award-winning revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). Heredia replaces 2010 Tony-nominee Robin De Jesús in the role of Jacob. Heredia will begin performances on Tuesday, February 15, the same evening that four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and six-time Emmy Award nominee Jeffrey Tambor will join the company as Albin and Georges. Current stars five-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer, 2010 Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge and 2010 Tony Award nominee Robin De Jesús will play their final performances on Sunday, February 13.
Heredia made his Broadway debut in Rent, for which he received the 1996 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and an Obie Award. Heredia recreated his role in the original London production of Rent where he garnered an Olivier nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and in the feature film, directed by Chris Columbus. Other credits include: Eli in Eli's Coming (Vineyard Theatre), Elizabeth Swados' The New Americans for which he composed the song "No Es Asi," Popol Vuh at Lincoln Center, Intar and on tour and The Tower (Danny Kaye Theatre). Film: Three Chris's, The Girl from the Naked Eye, Descent, Nailed, Johnny Was, Flawless and On a Mission from God. Television: "Without a Trace," "Medium," "Law and Order SVU," and "Spin City".
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.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES made Tony Awards history this 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 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.
The production has also been cited as one of the Top 10 productions of 2010 by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and Time Out New York.
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; Michael Lowney as Etienne and Bill Nolte as Tabarro. Bruce Winant replaces Bill Nolte as Tabarro beginning on Tuesday, January 11. Nolte's final performance will be Sunday, January 9.
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.
