Lawrence Frederick Kert (December 5, 1930 – June 5, 1991) was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for his role of Tony in the original Broadway production of the musical West Side Story.

Kert was born in Los Angeles, the youngest of four children of Orthodox Jewish parents, Harry and Lillian (née Pearson; originally Peretz) Kert (some sources cite the family surname as Kurt).[1] Kert's eldest sibling, Anita, became a vocalist, noted for dubbing Rita Hayworth and other non-singing stars in their films. He and his siblings graduated from Hollywood High School. A Shubert Theater Playbill for 1963's I Can Get It For You Wholesale, starring Kert states: "He attended Los Angeles City College. As a teenager he worked at breaking wild horses to saddle—which led to a teen-age career as a stunt man, stand-in, and extra in well-nigh 100 films".

Kert's first professional credit was as a member of a theatrical troupe called the "Bill Norvas and the Upstarts" in the 1950 Broadway revue Tickets, Please!.[2] After a seven-month run, he worked sporadically in Broadway,[3] Off-Broadway and ballet productions as a dancer until 1957, when he was cast in West Side Story.

Death
Kert's last stage appearance came in a touring company of La Cage aux Folles but he missed performances because of illness. Kert died, at 60, in his Manhattan home from complications of AIDS in 1991. Kert's longtime partner at the time of his death was Ron Pullen.[8][9]

Harvey Evans (January 7, 1941 – December 24, 2021) was an American stage and film actor. He was noted for having appeared in the original Broadway productions of West Side Story, Follies, and Hello, Dolly!, among others.[1]

Life and career
Evans was born Harvey Hohnecker and grew up in Cincinnati.[1] He moved to New York in 1955.[1]

Soon after Evans moved to New York, he appeared in the national tour of Damn Yankees, where he met Bob Fosse. Fosse then cast the young Evans in his first Broadway production, New Girl in Town (1957).[2] Evans next appeared on the original Broadway production of West Side Story as Gee-Tar (1957). He later appeared in both film versions of the musical. He played Mouthpiece, one of the Jets, in the 1961 film and played a security guard at Gimbels in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake.[3] He appeared in another Fosse musical, Redhead (1959).

He next appeared on Broadway in Gypsy as replacement for Tulsa (1960) and then was a replacement for Barnaby in the original Broadway run of Hello, Dolly! (from 1967),[2] where he appeared alongside Carol Channing, Betty Grable, and Eve Arden. Other Broadway appearances included roles in Anyone Can Whistle (1964), George M! as Sam Harris (1968), Our Town as George Gibbs (1969), The Boy Friend as Bobby Van Husen (1970), Follies as Young Buddy (1971), Barnum understudying the title role (1980), Sunset Boulevard as Jonesy, Sammy and other roles (1995), The Scarlet Pimpernel as Ozzy (1998) and Oklahoma! understudying Andrew Carnes (2002).[3]

Evans was a chimney sweep in the 1964 film version of Mary Poppins.[1] He also appeared in The Pajama Game and had a cameo in the 2007 film Enchanted.[1] He played William in Silver Tongues.[4]

He died at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on December 24, 2021, at the age of 80.[1][5]

La Cage aux Folles (French pronunciation: ​[la kaʒ o fɔl]) is a musical with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein.

Based on the 1973 French play of the same name, the show tells the story of a gay couple, Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction; farcical adventures ensue when household dynamics intersect with an ultra-conservative politician.

Opening on Broadway in 1983, La Cage broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship. The show's act one finale "I Am What I Am" received praise as a "gay anthem" and has been widely recorded.

The original production ran for more than four years (1,761 performances), and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.

The success of the musical spawned a West End production and several international runs. Subsequent revivals have garnered considerable success, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in both 2005 and 2010, as well as the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival in 2008.

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