'La Cage' to land in O.C.

"Our chemistry was great; we got amazing reviews. It was like a gift from heaven. But we only lasted about nine weeks (laughs) and then the producer talked about a national tour. Harvey said he had other things to do, and they asked me, 'Would you be interested in playing Zaza?' I thought, it's with George Hamilton, and it's one of those parts that I think an actor should do, and that's how it happened. You know what? George is 72 and he's kicking it; he's been doing it for nine months.

"This is my second time on national tour; the first time was 'Meet Me in St. Louis,'" he said. "When you're 22 to 23, and your metabolism is like a bunny rabbit, you don't need much sleep; now it matters. I need food that's not gonna make me fat, and rest is something that I constantly need. It's physically and vocally exhausting; it takes a lot out of you. I always say, for three and a half hours, I never stop; we have three bathroom breaks built in, and I really don't ever leave the stage. Once I'm on, I don't stop. We don't even have a real intermission."

"La Cage" has seen its share of controversy over the years, but remains a Broadway standard that has seen several revivals and has been performed around the world.

"The message is all about family," Sieber said. "It's not a conventional family, but this show is about who you love. It's so funny, because it's so timely now because of all the political garbage that's going on right now. And being on tour, 99.9% of the audience is fantastic. The people we meet are great. I think it's the talking heads on TV and the politicians who seem to have a problem, not the people.

"If you like a good old musical, come and see us, because you're going to have a blast. Georges is terrific; I am amazing."

He laughs.

If You Go

What: "La Cage aux Folles"

When: July 24 to Aug. 5

Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Cost: $22.50 and up

Information: scfta.org