Will Chase to Replace Christian Borle in Broadway's Something Rotten!
(© David Gordon)
Tony nominee and former Nashville cast member Will Chase will join the Broadway production of Something Rotten! on July 18. He will take on the role of William Shakespeare from departing Tony winner Christian Borle, who plays his final performance on July 16, alongside fellow original cast members John Cariani, Heidi Blickenstaff, and Kate Reinders.
Prior to landing a role on the ABC series Nashville, Chase played the role of Shakespeare in the musical's very first reading. He received a Tony nomination for his performance in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and has also been seen in Lennon, High Fidelity, The Story of My Life, and Rent, among other shows.
As previously announced, the roles played by Cariani, Blickenstaff, and Reinders will be taken over by Josh Grisetti (It Shoulda Been You), Leslie Kritzer (The Robber Bridegroom), and current Something Rotten! ensemble player Catherine Brunell. Tony nominee Rob McClure recently took over the role of Nick Bottom from Brian d'Arcy James.
Something Rotten!, written by Wayne Kirkpatrick, Karey Kirkpatrick, and John O'Farrell, is a tribute to musical theater set in 1590s England. It follows Nick and Nigel Bottom, a pair of brothers who are desperate to write a play, but are stuck in the shadow of William Shakespeare. When they're told by a local soothsayer that the future of theater involves singing, dancing, and acting at the same time, they set out to write the world's first musical. Direction and choreography are by Casey Nicholaw.
