Robert Goulet replaces ousted lead in Broadway's La Cage

Robert Goulet will join the Broadway cast of La Cages aux Folles in mid April, replacing Daniel Davis, who was reportedly fired over the weekend from the leading role of Georges, long-suffering mate to flighty drag diva Albin, played by Gary Beach. According to the New York Post, Davis was fired for "obnoxious offstage behavior after feuding with...Beach and other members of the Broadway production." According to the Post, Davis had been "fighting for weeks with Beach.... The former longtime friends had stopped talking to each other except onstage, and their appearances together had become less frequent due to missed performances." The paper also said Davis was causing trouble for other people involved in the production, show sources said, adding that he had a bad attitude and was verbally abusive to cast and crew members. At one point, writes the Post, quoting unnamed sources, Davis was "seen walking around the Marquis Theatre muttering, 'I can't believe I'm in this fucking show.'" Another background quote asserts there would have been a "near mutiny" if Davis had stayed with the production. Davis's contract will be paid off. Understudy John Hillner will assume the role of Georges for the interim performances. With a score by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, La Cages aux Folles is directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. Goulet is about as well prepared to step in as an actor could be. A musical theater legend who made his first splash on Broadway in 1960 as Lancelot in the original production of Camelot opposite Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, Goulet returned to Broadway in Camelot in 1993, this time playing King Arthur. Winner of a Tony, a Grammy, and an Emmy, Goulet has worked nonstop in the nearly five decades since his Broadway debut, with credits including numerous musicals, television appearances, and films--among them the animated feature film Gay Purr-ee, costarring the voice of Judy Garland.