Kelsey Grammer to make Broadway musical debut
Reuters US Online Report Entertainment News | 2009-11-30 22:50:51
<div><p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Emmy award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer will make his Broadway musical debut in April playing the gay owner of a transvestite club in the revival of "La Cage aux Folles," publicists said on Monday.</p><p>Grammer, known best for playing Dr. Frasier Crane for some 20 years on the TV comedies "Cheers" and its spin-off, "Frasier", had recently starred in and produced the TV comedy "Hank", which was canceled earlier this month after less than one season.</p><p>"I had a wonderful experience playing Henry Higgins in the New York Philharmonic "My Fair Lady" in 2007, which made me long to perform in a musical on Broadway," Grammer said in a statement.</p><p>Grammer, 54, is set to play Georges, the emcee and owner of a St. Tropez nightclub that boasts drag queen headliner Zaza, George's flamboyant lover. Hijinks ensue when George's son introduces them to his fiance's conservative parents.</p><p>"La Cage aux Folles" is based on a 1973 French play. A 1983 Broadway musical comedy, based on a 1978 film adaptation, played for more than four years and won six Tony awards.</p><p>Grammer acted in Shakespeare plays in New York's Broadway theater district in the 1980s and in 2000, when he starred in "Macbeth". It closed early following lukewarm reviews.</p><p>His singing can be heard in some of his animated projects, such as "The Simpsons" and the 1997 film "Anastasia".</p><p>Grammer follows several celebrities who have contracted the Broadway bug. "James Bond" actor Daniel Craig and "X-Men"'s "Wolverine", Hugh Jackman, are starring in the play "A Steady Rain", and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini headed the cast earlier this year of "God of Carnage."</p><p>(Reporting by Corinne Heller: Editing by Jill Serjeant)</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=64502237&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>
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