Things may be looking down for Kelsey Grammer (ABC canceled
Hank), but don't count him out. Well actually he will be out. On stage that is. The producers of the Broadway revival of
La Cage have just announced that the star of
Frazier and
Cheers will be headlining the production as the gay cabaret owner "Georges" next spring. This will be the second revival of the musical in only five years (the last revival closed in June of 2005) which is making many wonder: Why? Why is it necessary to bring a show back to Broadway that was just here? Hmmmm... will we ever know? The revival will be a transfer of the critically acclaimed 2008 West End production. Here's hoping it's better than the last one (the 2004 version was widely panned by both critics and audiences).
When asked about his latest sit-com,
Hank being canceled, Grammer claims he was the one who pulled the plug on
Hank.
"Honestly, it just wasn't very funny... We finished and I was like, 'Oh boy, there wasn't a laugh in the house on this one.' And I called the president of Warner Brothers... and I said, 'Listen, when can we put a bullet in this thing?'" Even though this is obvious PR, it's a smart move that makes you want to forgive him for the bad material. This is fail number two for the funny man counting last year's Back to You.
Grammer may be over-due on a break from TV, and it seems like a good time for him to return to the Broadway stage. He last appeared on Broadway in 2000 starring in Macbeth. His previous credits are from the 80's and are also Shakespearean: another version of Macbeth and "Casio" in Othello. He sang live as "Henry Higgins" in the New York Philharmonic's My Fair Lady in 2007 which made him "long to perform in a musical on Broadway." He released this statement about playing Georges in La Cage:
"Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's wonderfully funny and touching show is about being true to yourself and the challenges you face as a parent, as a spouse and as a family. I cannot wait to work with Douglas Hodge and to sing these magnificent songs every night."
Of all the TV to Broadway actors, it seems like Grammer may actually have what it takes to make his role come to life, and it will be great to see him in a comedy that's actually funny again.
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