La Cage aux Folles: Douglas Hodge extends run

Allyce Beasley and Matt Anctil are to join the cast of the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles, winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Beasley, will join the cast as 'Mme. Renaud / Mme. Dindon' on 14 Sep 2010, replacing original cast member Veanne Cox, who will play her final performance on 12 Sep 2010.

Anctil has joined the company and begins performances tonight (24 Aug 2010) as 'Angelique,' one of the notorious and dangerous Cagelles, replacing original cast member Nick Adams who played his final performance on 22 Aug 2010. Adams is next to appear on Broadway as 'Adam/Felicia' in the musical 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert.'

Beasley is making her Broadway debut in the musical. She is best known for her role as "Ms. Dipesto" on ABC's "Moonlighting," for which she received two Emmy, Golden Globe and American Comedy Award nominations. Her TV credits include "Taxi," "Cheers," "Touched by an Angel." Films include "Legally Blonde," "Stuart Little" "Loaded Weapon." Her theatre credits include' Agnes Gooch' in the Hollywood Bowl 2004's production of 'Mame,' with Michele Lee and Christine Ebersole, 'The Drowsy Chaperone' at the Gateway Playhouse, 'Anything Goes' at the Carpenter Center, the female 'Odd Couple' at the Cerritos Center and the national tour with Barbara Eden and the West Coast Premiere of 'Morticians in Love.'

Anctil is making his Broadway debut in La Cage aux Folles. His credits include the national and arena tour of the 'Radio City Christmas Spectacular,' numerous editions of 'Broadway Bares,' 'Ticket to Ride,' 'Fire Island Dance Festival 14,' 'Stephen Schwartz: Making Music,' 'Night of 1000 Gowns.'

La Cage aux Folles opened at the Longacre Theatre on 18 Apr 2010, following previews from 6 Mar and is currently booking through to 19 Dec 2010.

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 helming of the production.

The musical stars Kelsey Grammer as 'Georges,' Douglas Hodge as 'Albin,' Fred Applegate as 'M. Dindon/M. Renaud,' Veanne Cox 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 '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.

La Cage aux Folles recently made Tony Awards history as the first show to ever win the Tony Award three times for best production. The classic musical comedy by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein originally 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 aux Folles 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).

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. The original production of La Cage aux Folles was one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 1980s. It opened 21 Aug 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 23 Nov 2007 to 8 Mar 2008 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, befire transferring to the West End's Playhouse Theatre on 30 Oct 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 and sound design by Jonathan Deans.