FLASH FRIDAY: SOMETHING ROTTEN!'s New Shakespeare Will Chase in HIGH FIDELITY

Though he can play the suave and dapper leading man when called upon, as he was in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT and the Encores! concert production of BELLS ARE RINGING, Will Chase has spent most of his stage career as a Broadway rock star.

After impressive replacement performances in MISS SAIGON, RENT, AIDA and THE FULL MONTY, Chase earned raves as one of the cast of LENNON's many impersonators of the title's music icon.

Soon after, he originated the leading role in David Lindsay-Abaire, Tom Kitt and Amanda Green's Broadway adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, HIGH FIDELITY. Though the show itself was short-lived, Chase's fan base just kept growing and despite television work on shows like "Smash" and "Nashville," he's still a Broadway regular.

As reported by BroadwayWorld, beginning July 18, Will Chase will be jumping onto the role of SOMETHING ROTTEN's Renaissance rock star, William Shakespeare, replacing Christian Borle, who won his second Tony Award for originating the part. He's be joining previously announced new Something Rotten! principals Catherine Brunell (Portia), Josh Grisetti (Nigel Bottom) and Leslie Kritzer (Bea), who will also be welcomed to the Renaissance on July 18th.

Here's a look back at this charismatic performer singing from HIGH FIDELITY's score at a CD signing event.

The completely original new musical Something Rotten!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell, is playing at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44 Street).

From the director of Aladdin and co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights comes something original... something fresh... Something Rotten!, a world-premiere musical comedy about the musical comedy that started it all.

Welcome to the '90s - the 1590s - long before the dawn of premium tickets, star casting and reminders to turn off your cell phones. Brothers Nick (McClure) and Nigel Bottom (Cariani) are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as "The Bard." When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world's very first MUSICAL! But amidst the scandalous excitement of Opening Night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self...and all that jazz.