Kelsey Grammer, the Emmy-winning Fraiser star, is in talks to star in the upcoming revival of La Cage aux Folles. The Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical, directed by Terry Johnson, is scheduled to begin performances at the Longacre Theatre on April 6. Grammer would play Georges, the lover of Brit stage star Douglas Hodge's flamboyant drag diva, Albin.
In La Cage aux Folles, Georges is the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. Partnered romantically with his high-strung star performer, Albin (who goes by the stage name Zaza), the pair live a charmed life on the Riviera—until Georges' son, Jean-Michel, turns up engaged to the daughter of a conservative right-wing politician who's coming to dinner.
Grammer's most recent credits have included the short-lived TV series Hank and Back to You. He is best known for the long-running sitcom Fraiser, the Emmy-winning spinoff of the long-running series Cheers. On Broadway, Grammer has appeared in classical pieces three times, cutting his teeth in 1981's Macbeth before following up with Othello in 1982. In 2000, he returned to the former, playing the title role in a short-lived revival of Macbeth. No stranger to musicals, he showed off his pipes in the New York Philharmonic's presentation of My Fair Lady in 2007 and has voiced singing characters in animated features such as Anastasia and The Simpsons. His numerous other film and television credits include Down Periscope, Animal Farm, Toy Story 2, X-Men: The Last Stand and Fame.
La Cage aux Folles features music and lyrics by Herman and a book by Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret.
This production of the show originated at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, where it played from November 23, 2007, to March 8, 2008, earning raves and moving to the West End’s Playhouse Theatre on October 30, 2008, where it is still running through the end of the year.