Hodge & Quast Star in Chocolate Factory's 'La Cage'

Following the huge success of its past two sold-out, hit Christmas musicals: Sunday in the Park with George and Little Shop of Horrors, the Menier Chocolate Factory is delighted to announce that this year's Christmas extravaganza will be La Cage aux Folles.

Tickets, which went on sale on September 4, are selling extremely fast. The show is breaking Box Office records at the Chocolate Factory and some performances are already sold out.

A hugely talented creative team with Terry Johnson at the helm making his musical theatre directing debut has been brought together to bring this show to the London stage for the first time in 21 years.

Douglas Hodge takes the role of Albin. His recent credits include: making his musical theatre debut in Guys and Dolls opposite Ewan McGregor (Piccadilly), Titus Andronicus (Globe), Dumb Show (Royal Court, Olivier nomination), Pericles (National Theatre) and more than ten Pinter plays including Moonlight and The Caretaker in the West End. Film credits include Vanity Fair, Mansfield Park and Scenes of a Sexual Nature. His television credits include regular roles in "Spooks" and "Redcap."

Philip Quast is a triple Olivier Award winner, having won best actor in a musical for Sunday in the Park with George (National Theatre), The Fix (Donmar Warehouse) and South Pacific (National Theatre). Other credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Stuff Happens (National Theatre), The Secret Garden (RSC/Aldwych), Macbeth, The White Devil (RSC) and earlier this year Evita (Adelphi).

Tara Hugo is currently appearing in Leonard Cohen / Philip Glass' Book of Longing which is on a world tour. Other credits include The Threepenny Opera (Donmar Warehouse, Olivier nomination), Macbeth (Broadway) and in films United 93 and Hellboy. Neil McDermott has recently been seen playing the role of Rolf in The Sound of Music (Palladium). Other theatre credits include title role in Aladdin (Old Vic) and Henry IV (Donmar Warehouse). Jason Pennycooke's credits include The Big Life (Stratford East/Apollo), Sammy Davies Jr in The Rat Pack (Savoy) and Simply Heavenly (Young Vic).

"Based on a French play by Jean Poiret which was then made into a hugely successful film, La Cage aux Folles tells the story of Albin and Georges, two middle-aged lovers who run a drag nightclub in St. Tropez where Albin's alter ego 'ZaZa' is the star attraction. The plot revolves around the complications that develop when Georges' son announces that he is getting married – to the daughter of a local moral crusader!  And her parents are coming to dinner to meet the future in-laws!" explain pres notes.

The original production opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway on August 21, 1983. The show was destined to become the biggest new American musical of the decade. It ran for 1,761 performances and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book of a Musical.  It opened in London at the Palladium on May 7, 1986 and ran for 301 performances.  The show's song "I Am What I Am" became an instant hit in the pop charts and was recorded by a variety of artists, including Gloria Gaynor and Shirley Bassey.

Jerry Herman's credits include Milk and Honey; Hello, Dolly!; Mame, Dear World; Mack and Mabel and The Grand Tour. He won a Tony Award for Hello, Dolly! and a second Tony and a Drama Critics' Circle Award for La Cage aux Folles. He has also won two Grammy's, two Gold Records, three Variety Critics' Poll Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Harvey Fierstein is the author of Torch Song Trilogy (for which he won two Tony and Drama Desk Awards as author and actor). He won his third Tony for Outstanding Book of a Musical for La Cage aux Folles. He is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Grant in Playwriting, the Ford Foundation Grant for New American Plays, a CAPS Fellowship, a special Obie Award for writing and acting, the Fund for Human Dignity Award, the George Oppenheimer/Newsday Playwriting Award, the Hall Warriner Award from the Dramatists Guild and the Theatre World Award.

Terry Johnson is a hugely prolific director and writer. His directing credits include: Dead Funny (Hampstead Theatre and West End), Insignificance (Donmar), The Libertine (Steppenwolf, Chicago), Cracked (Hampstead), London Cuckolds (National Theatre), Elton John's Glasses (Watford and West End), The Memory of Water (Hampstead and West End), Cleo, Camping Emmanuelle and Dick (National Theatre), Sparkleshark (National Theatre), The Graduate (West End, Broadway and Australia), Hitchcock Blonde (Royal Court, West End and South Coast Rep), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (co-director with Tamara Harvey, Edinburgh & West End), Dumb Show (Royal Court), Piano/Forte (Royal Court) and Whipping It Up (Bush and West End). As a writer his credits include: Insignificance (Plays & Players Award Best Play, Evening Standard Award Most Promising Playwright), Cries From The Mammal House, Unsuitable For Adults, Imagine Drowning, Hysteria (Olivier Award Best Comedy 1993), Dead Funny (Writers' Guild Award Best West End Play 1994, Drama Critics Circle Best Play 1994, Lloyds Private Banking Playwright of the Year 1994 and Time Out Drama Award 1994). He has also worked extensively in television as both a director and writer.

Lynne Page's credits include the Chocolate Factory's production of Little Shop of Horrors, as well as Bat Boy – the Musical (Shaftesbury) and Assassins (Crucible, Sheffield).

David Farley won the Olivier Award for his design of Sunday in the Park with George, which will transfer to Broadway in January 2008. He recently designed Little Shop of Horrors and the world premiere of Take Flight at the Chocolate Factory.

La Cage aux Folles begins previews November 23 – December 2; opening Monday December 3 at 8PM and booking until March 8, 2008.  Performances are Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8PM, Saturdays & Sundays at 3:30PM.  Tickets are £25, Meal deals £32.50.  Call the box office at 020 7907 7060 (no bkg fee).  Online bookings www.menierchocolatefactory.com (no bkg fee). Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU, Nearest tube London Bridge