Muny Announces Principal Casting for ‘La Cage aux Folles’

ST. LOUIS — Norm Lewis, Michael James Scott, Cameron Anika Hill, Terence Archie, Allison Blackwell, Troy Iwata, Michael Hartung and Meghan Murphy will star in La Cage aux Folles when the musical theatre triumph returns to The Muny this summer after nearly four decades.

La Cage aux Folles, the hilarious romp that inspired the 1996 film The Birdcage, runs Aug. 8-14 and is presented by the Staenberg Family Foundation.

The production is led by Marcia Milgrom Dodge (director), Richard J. Hinds (choreographer) and Darryl Archibald (music director/conductor). The team also includes Matthew Buttrey (scenic designer); Bobby Pearce (costume designer); Adam Honoré (lighting designer); John Shivers and David Patridge (sound designers); Kylee Loera and Greg Emetaz (video designers); Tommy Kurzman (wig designer); Nathan O. Peck and Josh Zacher (associate choreographers); Heather Hardin (makeup design); and The Telsey Office/Rashad Naylor, CSA (casting).

“What a dream cast for this extraordinary Broadway classic,” said Muny Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “This cast promises us all ‘the best of times’ this summer.”

Additional casting, including the role of Jean-Michel, will be announced.

NORM LEWIS (Georges) can currently be seen onstage starring in the off-Broadway production of Ceremonies in Dark Old Men. He recently completed the national tour of the Tony Award-winning production of A Soldier’s Play and starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning West End concert of Love Never Dies. Mr. Lewis last appeared on Broadway in fall 2021, starring in Chicken and Biscuits at the Circle in the Square Theatre. He received several award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and in 2014 made history as the first Black Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. He is an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and SAG award nominee for his work onstage, on screen and in music. Mr. Lewis is a proud founding member of Black Theatre United.

MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT (Albin) currently stars as The Genie in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, a role he also originated in the Australian production, which earned him a Helpmann Award. He’s best known for originating “the Maggots Guy” in The Book of Mormon and The Minstrel in Something Rotten! on Broadway. Other Broadway credits include Aladdin (original company), Hair (original revival company), All Shook Up (original company), The Pirate Queen (original company), Elf (original company), Mamma Mia! and Tarzan. Additional theatre credits include Aladdin (The Genie) and Hair on the West End, Fosse (international tour), Jerry Springer: The Opera (Carnegie Hall) and Jersey Boys (Las Vegas). TV credits include Black Monday, The Carrie Diaries and Independent Woman. He can be heard as the voice for Disney Cruise Line’s The Wish campaign, on many original Broadway cast albums, studio recordings and his holiday album, A Fierce Christmas, on Spotify and iTunes.

CAMERON ANIKA HILL (Anne) returns to The Muny, where she last appeared in The Wiz. Broadway: Elf: The Musical (2024 revival), Dear Evan Hansen. National tours: Oklahoma! (directed by Daniel Fish), Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Regional: Chicago Shakespeare Theater (42 Balloons, North American premiere), Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Music Theatre Wichita, Weston Theater Company, Theatre Aspen, Westchester Broadway Theatre and more. On screen, she has appeared on WeCrashed (Apple TV+), Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness (Netflix) and in Bernstein’s Mass on Great Performances (PBS).

TERENCE ARCHIE (M. Edouard Dindon) Muny debut. Broadway: Company; Kiss Me, Kate; Rocky; Ragtime. International: Rocky Das Musical. Off-Broadway: Joan of Arc: Into the Fire (Public Theatre); 1776 (Encores!); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Second Stage); Romeo and Juliet (Classical Theatre of Harlem); Fredrick Douglass Free, GWC Peanut Price (Urban Stages). Regional: The Hot Wing King, All the Way, The Twelve (DCPA); Guys and Dolls, Twelfth Night (Old Globe); R&J (ART); Hippest Trip (ACT SF); The Odyssey (Seattle Rep); Tamburlaine the Great, Edward II, Two Gentlemen of Verona (STC). TV/film: Raising Kanan, Manhattan Love Story, The Blacklist, Blindspot, For Life, Elementary, Blue Bloods, The Mysteries of Laura. BFA in drama, North Carolina School of the Arts.

ALLISON BLACKWELL (Mme. Marie Dindon) makes her Muny debut. She has been seen in such Broadway shows as New York, New York; Pretty Woman: The Musical; A Night With Janis Joplin; Disney’s The Lion King; and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Regional roles include Armelia in Ain’t Misbehavin’; Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music; Fantine in Les Misérables; Dotty/Washing Machine in Caroline, or Change (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for best supporting actress); and Becky in Waitress. As a guest soloist, Ms. Blackwell has performed with such orchestras as The New York Pops, The Boston Pops, The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Philly Pops, The Houston Symphony and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Training: BA, Spelman College and MM, The Boston Conservatory.

TROY IWATA (Jacob) was last seen on the Muny stage as Ogie in Waitress. You can catch him as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show or in his hit independent film Summoning Sylvia — a horror-comedy in which he stars alongside Michael Urie and Frankie Grande. Troy recently recurred on Netflix’s The Perfect Couple, opposite Nicole Kidman, as well as on the Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed as Damian Saito, alongside Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. He also starred in the Netflix series Dash & Lily, which garnered 12 Emmy nominations. Troy made his Broadway debut in the viral sensation Be More Chill in 2019.

MICHAEL HARTUNG (Francis) returns for his 12th show at The Muny. Broadway: Hello, Dolly! Off-Broadway: Alice by Heart (MCC). Regional: The Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage), Chasing Rainbows (Goodspeed), Pirates of Penzance (Barrington Stage), Mary Poppins (TUTS), Music Theater of Wichita, The Gateway Playhouse, West Virginia Public Theater. TV: Peter Pan Live! (NBC), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC), Fosse/Verdon (FX), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime). Originally from Sun Prairie, Wis., Michael trained at the Monona Academy of Dance before attending The University of Michigan and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Michael is currently studying at The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.

MEGHAN MURPHY (Jacqueline) is a Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actor, singer, producer, cabaret and recording artist making her Muny debut. Theatre: Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney, Jeff Award for best lead performance 2024), Mamma Mia! (Tanya, Marriott Theater), Spamalot (Lady of the Lake, Mercury Theater), The Drowsy Chaperone (Drowsy, Peninsula Players), Cabaret (Frauline Kost, Paramount Theater), City of Angels (Oolie/Donna, Marriott Theater), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Pattie, Drury Lane Theater), The Who’s Tommy (Acid Queen, Paramount Theatre) and more. Film/TV: Captive State (Focus Features), Honey Nut Cheerios (national commercial). Affectionately known as “Big Red,” Meghan has spent the past decade touring the world as a headlining artist with her solo show, The Big Red Show, performing on both land and sea.

The Telsey Office is the official casting partner of The Muny.

The Muny artistic staff includes Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson, Associate Artistic Director Michael Baxter, Director of Production Tracy Utzmyers and Music Supervisor Michael Horsley. 

La Cage aux Folles, Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman’s beloved musical comedy about complicated family dynamics, was last seen on the Muny stage in 1986. After 20 years together, things turn rocky for Georges and Albin when their son becomes engaged to the daughter of a politician. Adding to the tension is the couple’s drag nightclub in Saint-Tropez, where Albin stars as “Zaza.” La Cage aux Folles features memorable tunes such as “I Am What I Am,” “The Best of Times” and “A Little More Mascara.”

Performances of La Cage aux Folles begin at 8:15 p.m. nightly, Aug. 8-14. Season 107 at The Muny also includes Bring It On: The Musical (June 16-22), Come From Away (June 26-July 2), Disney’s Frozen (July 6-14), Evita (July 18-24), Dear Evan Hansen (July 28-Aug. 3) and Jersey Boys (Aug. 18-24).

New season tickets start at just $126 and are on sale now at muny.org/season-tickets and at the Muny Box Office, located at 1 Theatre Drive in Forest Park. Single-performance tickets go on sale May 19. 

A 20% group discount is available for parties of 15 or more. To start the free reservation process, visit muny.org/groups or call (314) 595-5708.

Visit muny.org/lacage to read content notes and more for La Cage aux Folles; watch In Focus, a Muny original series; and hear Muny Unscripted, a new podcast available exclusively on Spotify.

Find headshots, show logos and other promotional assets in the Muny Press Room.

About The Muny

Now entering its 107th season in St. Louis, The Muny — the recipient of the 2025 Regional Theatre Tony Award — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to producing exceptional musical theatre that is accessible to all, continuing its remarkable tradition in Forest Park. As the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre, The Muny welcomes more than 300,000 patrons each summer for seven world-class productions under the stars. Learn more at muny.org.