Kelsey Grammer Talks Broadway, Gay Marriage and Being an R-Word

By Nicki Gostin Posted Apr 22nd 2010 11:15AM

Kelsey Grammer, best known for his role as fussbudget Frasier Crane on 'Frasier,' is thinking outside of the box (and the closet) in his latest role. Grammer has returned to his "first love," the stage, in the Broadway revival of 'La Cage Aux Folles.' The musical, which spawned the hit film 'The Birdcage,' centers on the lives of Georges, portrayed by Grammer, the owner of a drag club on the French Riviera, and his high-maintenance partner, Albin, played by Englishman Douglas Hodge.

The show, full of fun, folly and drag queens, has gotten Grammer to open up about his views on gay marriage, his past addictions and why Hollywood thinks "Republican" is a four-letter word.

You must be exhausted.
Uh, yeah. It's my first love, so I'm adjusting back to it. I rather like the schedule. We're having a wonderful time doing the show. It's a great bunch of people -- I would go into battle with any one of these guys. I like meeting friends after the show and then sleeping in. And it's great being back in New York -- I really get a charge out of it.

This show is very pro-gay marriage.
I think its pro-love. I think its pro-everybody, honestly. I have a funny thing about marriage. I think that marriage is the providence of the church. I think it's a religious rite. I don't understand the civil angle on marriage at all. So am I pro-my friends who love each other getting married? Yes -- gay, straight or otherwise. I don't have an issue about it. Somebody obviously thought it would be fun to tax marriage one day, so they made it a government thing.

'Frasier' was a very gay show. To a lot of people, Frasier and Niles seemed like a gay couple.
We always described it as the recessive gay gene of the 'Frasier' show.

I think some people may have even thought you were gay.
That's fine. My motto in life is to keep them guessing.

So your wife Camille signed up for the new 'Housewives' series?
I can't discuss that.

Really? So it must be true!
[Laughs] You know better than to ask me that. I can neither confirm nor deny.

Your daughter Spencer is doing a lot of work with the show 'Greek.'
Yes, she's done very well. I'm very proud.

You're a Republican. What's easier in Hollywood -- being a Republican or a cocaine addict?
Yes, I am a Republican. And gosh, I don't think you can lose your job because you're addicted to cocaine.

Can you lose your job because you're a Republican?
I think you can. It can affect your livelihood. Drug use in Hollywood does not affect your livelihood. I clearly am in the minority, as a Republican. It's fine. There are some principles and issues for me that are worth claiming rather than pretending I'm something that I'm not.

Do you, Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger get together and commiserate?
[Laughs] No! It's not really like that. I have a lovely life. I have certain political views about small government and that's where I live. At the heart of my beliefs about being a Republican is the idea that the individual is America's greatest national treasure.

Sounds like a stump speech to me. Could we see Senator Grammer?
It's been in the back of my mind for some time to possibly volunteer my services to the country at some point. We'll see... there are a lot of things to consider.

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Showstoppers on Broadway

In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, from left, Norm Lewis, Vanessa Williams, Matthew Scott and Euan Morton are shown in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company production of "Sondheim on Sondheim," now playing at Broadway's Studio 54 in New York. (AP Photo/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Richard Termine)

Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Snapshots From Broadway

In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Barbara Cook, left, and Vanessa Williams are shown in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company production of "Sondheim on Sondheim," now playing at Broadway's Studio 54 in New York. (AP Photo/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Richard Termine)

Snapshots From Broadway

In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, from left, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, Matthew Scott, Erin Mackey,Barbara Cook, Euan Morton, Norm Lewis and Leslie Kritzer are shown in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company production of "Sondheim on Sondheim," now playing at Broadway's Studio 54 in New York. (AP Photo/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Richard Termine)

Snapshots From Broadway

In this theater publicity image released by Jeffrey Richards Associates, from left, James Spader, David Alan Grier and Richard Thomas are shown in a scene from David Mamet's "Race," playing at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Richards Associates, Robert J. Saferstein)

Snapshots From Broadway

FILE - In this April 20, 2010 file photo, Marian Seldes arrives at the opening night performance of the Broadway musical "American Idiot" in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

Snapshots From Broadway

NEW YORK - APRIL 19: Leslie Jordan attends the Off-Broadway opening night of "My Trip Down The Pink Carpet" at The Midtown Theater on April 19, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Alli Harvey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Leslie Jordan

Snapshots From Broadway

NEW YORK - APRIL 19: Vanessa Ray attends the Off-Broadway opening night of "My Trip Down The Pink Carpet" at The Midtown Theater on April 19, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Alli Harvey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vanessa Ray

Snapshots From Broadway

NEW YORK - APRIL 19: Jay Manuel attends the Off-Broadway opening night of "My Trip Down The Pink Carpet" at The Midtown Theater on April 19, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Alli Harvey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jay Manuel

Snapshots From Broadway

NEW YORK - APRIL 19: Cynthia Nixon attends the Off-Broadway opening night of "My Trip Down The Pink Carpet" at The Midtown Theater on April 19, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Alli Harvey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cynthia Nixon

Snapshots From Broadway

Tags: Broadway, camille grammer, kelsey grammer, La Cage Aux Folles, real housewives, The Birdcage

Comments

(23)

Friday 23 April

By Robertogee

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Fine, Kelsey. Except you're saying that marriage is a religious rite and is the "providence of religion." You're saying you don't understand "the civil angle on marriage at all."

So you ignore the 1,200+ CIVIL advantages granted to CIVIL marriages by CIVIL law throughout the U.S. Or rather, imply that you'd deny equal civil laws to couples who don't meet your "religious" definition of marriage (heterosexual only) because you pretend not to understand "the civil angle."

You're saying "religion" trumps civil laws re: marriage, in other words.

Sorry. Far too many instances expose the tragic harm your "beliefs" inflict on people by imposing a state-sanctioned religion on the rest of us, believers or not.

Atheists and non-believers can legally marry every day for the price of a license at City Hall, and contractually protect their lives as a couple. But not if they're same-sex couples.

Sure, you have gay friends and love everybody and blah, blah, blah.

You're still a religious bigot who'd like America to be a theocracy, sugarplum.

Saturday 30 October

By Alex

Way to miss the entire point of what he was saying. Good job on showing off your intelligence there though, chief...

By Mark

Kudos to Kelsey for making the pro gay marriage stance a non-partisan issue. Love is universal, not Democrat or Republican. :)

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