The producers of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES have announced today that George Hamiltonwill star in the hilarious new production that was the biggest hit of the 2010 Broadway season leaving audiences in stitches night after night!
The national tour of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES will be produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, Sonia Friedman Productions and David Babani in association withNETworks Presentations.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES tells the story of Georges (George Hamilton) the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez, and his partner Albin, who moonlights as the glamorous chanteuse Zaza. When Georges' son brings his fiancée's conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair, the bonds of family are put to the test as the feather boas fly! LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is a tuneful and touching tale of one family's struggle to stay together... stay fabulous... and above all else, stay true to themselves!
George Hamilton is noted for his dashing, sporting, jet-setter image and perpetually bronzed skin tones in commercials, dramatic and comedic film roles and reality shows.
George Hamilton with his exceedingly handsome looks and attractive personality, he took a bold chance and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Metro Goldwyn Mayer wasted no time putting him in films following some guest appearances on TV. His first film, a lead inCrime & Punishment, USA (1959), was an offbeat, updated adaptation of the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel. He was the recipient of a Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer" as well as being nominated for "Best Foreign Actor" by the British Film Academy (BAFTA). This in turn led to an enviable series of film showcases such as Home from the Hill, All the Fine Young Cannibals, Light in the Piazza and Two Weeks in Another Town.
He performed several roles in numerous films but is best known for MGM films in the 1960s'Where the Boys Are, a coming-of-age romantic comedy in which Hamilton played a smooth Ivy League type. Hamilton made two memorable bio-pics: Your Cheatin' Heart in 1964, in which he portrayed the country-western music legend Hank Williams and in 1971, Evel Knievel, the life story of the motorcycle daredevil.
As the 1960s began to unfold, George Hamilton started making headlines more as a handsome escort to the rich, the powerful and the beautiful than as an acclaimed actor -- none more so than his 1966 squiring of President Lyndon B. Johnson 's daughter Lynda Bird Johnson. From the 1970s on, George tended to be tux-prone on standard film and TV comedy and drama, whether as a martini-swirling opportunist, villain or lover. A wonderfulcomeback for him came in the form of the disco-era Dracula spoof Love at First Bite (1979), which he executive-produced. Nominated for a Golden Globe as the campy neck-biter displaced and having to fend off the harsh realities of New York living, he continued on the parody road successfully with Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981) in the very best Mel Brooks tradition.
This renewed popularity led to a one-year stint on "Dynasty" (1981) during the 1985-1986 season and a string of fun, self-mocking commercials, particularly his Ritz Cracker appearance that often spoofed his overly tanned appearance. In 1989 he started a line of skin-care products and a chain of tanning salons. On the tube he can still pull off a good time, whether playing flamboyant publisher William Randolph Hearst in Rough Riders (1997) (TV), playing the best-looking Santa Claus ever in A Very Cool Christmas (2004) (TV), hosting beauty pageants or making breezy gag appearances.
He has broken through the "reality show" ranks by hosting "The Family" (2003) and participating in the second season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I), where his charm and usual impeccable tailoring scored higher than his limberness.
Hamilton was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009, on his 70th birthday.
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. The new, freshly reconceived LA CAGE won three 2010 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson).
The production is also the winner of three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson) and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret.
See what the critics had to say:
"Riotously funny!
LA CAGE could not be more timely or enjoyable."
Michael Kuchwara, ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Five Stars (out of five)! The Musical Revival of the Year! A Sensation!"
Adam Feldman, TIME OUT NEW YORK
"Funny, heartwarming and terrific!"
Steven Suskin, VARIETY
"LA CAGE is one of the happy surprises of the season!"
Linda Winer, NEWSDAY
"It's the best show I've seen this year!'
Kathie Lee Gifford, TODAY SHOW
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.
Barry and Fran Weissler (Producers): Barry and Fran Weissler are the recipients of six Tony Awards: Othello, their Broadway debut, starring James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer, Fiddler on the Roof with Topol, Gypsy with Tyne Daly, Annie Get Your Gun with Bernadette Peters and Reba McEntire, the 2010 hit revival of La Cage Aux Folles starring Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge, and the worldwide hit, Chicago, which also won the Olivier Award for its London production. Chicago is the longest running musical revival on both Broadway and the West End. The show's global success has reached over 23 countries and been translated into 11 languages. Other notable credits include Cabaret with Joel Grey,Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Kathleen Turner, Zorba with Anthony Quinn, My One & Only with Tommy Tune, Falsettos, My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlin, Grease with Rosie O'Donnell and Megan Mullally, Wonderful Town, Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate, and Kander and Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. Current projects include a revival of Zorba and a new musical adaptation of the independent film favorite,Waitress.
Sonia Friedman Productions Ltd: Sonia Friendman Productions is one of the most prolific theatre producers in the West End and on Broadway, initiating and presenting more than 95 significant productions since 1990. Current and recent productions include Arcadia, The Book of Mormon, La Cage Aux Folles, Much Ado About Nothing, The Children's Hour, La Bête, The Mountaintop, A Little Night Music, All My Sons, A View From the Bridge, The Norman Conquests, The Seagull, Boeing-Boeing, Rock 'n' Roll and No Man's Land. SFP general manages all of its West End productions and co-general manages many on Broadway. SFP is a subsidiary of the Ambassador Theatre Group.
David Babani: David Babani is Artistic Director of one of London's most exciting venues, the Menier Chocolate Factory. Currently celebrating its 5th anniversary, productions originated at the Chocolate Factory have received seven Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard awards and nine Tony nominations. Seven of its productions have transferred to theWest End and its critically acclaimed production of Sunday in the Park with George played Broadway in 2008. David has also produced Forbidden Broadway (Albery Theatre) and The Donkey Show (Hanover Grand). During his time as Artistic Director of the Jermyn Street Theatre, David produced Simply Barbra, which broke all box office records and transferred to the Playhouse Theatre; and the critically acclaimed UK premiere of Closer Than Ever by Maltby and Shire. In Australia he produced the world premiere of Symphonic Forbidden Broadwayand international concerts with Jason Robert Brown, Andrew Lippa and Maltby and Shire, all at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. David also produced the international hit comedy The English American by Alison Larkin (Soho Theatre), Richard III (Pleasance London), Boom Chicago (Jermyn Street, Soho, Royal Festival Hall) and a hugely successful production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins (New End).
NETworks PRESENTATIONS, LLC (Producer) Since 1995, NETworks has produced and managed over 45 touring productions in the US., U.K. and internationally . Current productions include Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Young Frankenstein, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, Blue Man Group National Tour, La Cage, Shrek The Musical and The New 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables. Future productions include Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins, Flashdance the Musical and National Theatre of Great Britain's production of War Horse touring the U.S.
