Redhouse Arts Center closes its 2017-18 Season with LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

Redhouse will close its 2017-18 season with the ever-popular musical La Cage aux Folles, book by Harvey Feirstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret. Performances will take place at Redhouse Arts Center, from May 31 - June 10, 2018. In addition, Redhouse will celebrate its Grand Opening of its new home at 400 S. Salina Street with a special event and ribbon cutting taking place June 1st prior to the opening night show. La Cage aux Folles, based on the same 1973 play which was also the inspiration for the movie "The Birdcage" starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams, will close the 2017/18 season. This comedic and heartfelt show features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, composer of Broadway hits Hello, Dolly! and Mame.

An inspiring, feel good musical with brains, belly laughs, and a huge tuneful heart, it's no wonder that La Cage won the Tony Award for Best Musical twice! Georges is the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. Partnered romantically with his high-strung star performer, Albin, the pair live a charmed life-until Georges' son turns up engaged to the daughter of a famously conservative, right-wing politician whose coming to dinner. To please their son, Georges and Albin agree to hide their lifestyle and play it straight for a dinner with the potential in-laws. However, Albin's unique definition of normal threatens to upend the entire supper with hilarious results. Featuring an iconic score featuring "I Am What I Am" and "The Best of Times", La Cage Aux Folles is a fabulously fun musical about family, identity and loving who you are.

Redhouse has once again put together a stellar cast starring Broadway and Television star Dirk Lumbard as Georges. As a performer, Dirk has appeared on Broadway in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; The Music Man, Imaginary Friends; On Your Toes; Barnum; and Sugar Babies. Off- Broadway; Dames At Sea; Flora, The Red Menace, and She Loves Me. National tours of The Wizard of Oz, Grand Hotel, Crazy For You and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He has performed in numerous theaters around the country and numerous productions regionally at North Carolina Theatre & Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Television: Home Improvement (which he also choreographed); Deadline; Alice In Wonderland. Dirk Lumbard is the recipient of Stratford Theatre's Tyrone Guthrie Award, Canada's Stage Door Award, and Chicago's Jefferson award. He served as Assistant Choreographer for the Broadway and London West End production of On Your Toes as well as co-choreographing the Off Broadway production of Dames At Sea. His director/ choreographer credits have been seen around the country at The Guthrie Theatre; The Paper Mill Playhouse; St. Louis MUNY; Pioneer Theatre, Salt Lake City; Cape Fear Reg. Theatre among others.

Starring alongside Dirk Lumbard will be Redhouse favorite, and Syracuse native Steve Hayes. Steve was most recently see on the Redhouse stage in the World Premier of his one man show, Raised by Warner Brothers, Born in Syracuse. Prior to that, he performed in Redhouse's productions of Beauty and the Beast and Six Degrees of Separation. Other main cast include CK Anderson as Jean Michael, Laura Austin and John Bixler as Mr. and Mrs. Dindon, Liliana Rose as Anne, Edwin Bates as Jacob, Jim Byrne as Francis and Aubry Panek as Jaqueline. Remaining cast includes TJ Newton, Jeremiah Porter, Dominic Fortunato, Nick Eibler, Brandon Ellis, Jason Timothy, Beth DeRousie and MacKenzie Gildemeyer.

Directing the show will be Cassie Abate who will make her Redhouse debut. She has spent the last decade working as a performer, director and choreographer in New York and throughout the country. Her directing and choreography credits include West Side Story, Peter Pan, Gypsy (Starring Leslie Uggams), Man of La Mancha (starring Terrence Mann), Drowsy Chaperone (Starring Pat Sajak and Liz Larsen), Music Man (Starring Barrett Foa), A Chorus Line, Seussical and Guys and Dolls at Connecticut Repertory Theatre; Pirates of Penzance at the Stephen Sondheim Center, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, and Music Man at the University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre; Moby Dick: the Musical at Theatre Workshop of Nantucket and assistant choreographer for The Brain From Planet X at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Cassie received a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of Miami and an MFA in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University. Other training includes Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project and Gil Stroming's Break the Floor in New York City. Cassie is a member of Actor's Equity Association, and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (Associate Member).

Other production crew include Production/Technical Director Joshua Reid, Music Director Bridget Moriarity, Lighting Designer Chuan Chi Chan, Set Design by Timothy Brown, Sound Design by Anthony Vadala, Costume Designer Raven Ong and Stage Manager Victoria Whooper.

La Cage aux Folles runs from May 31st - June 10th at the new Redhouse at City Center located at 400. South Salina Street. On site, paid parking is available in the attached garage on Clinton Street. For tickets and information on La Cage aux Folles, call the Redhouse Arts Center box office at (315) 362-2785 or visit www.theredhouse.org.

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