Sweet Sorrow Indeed! Christian Borle Departs SOMETHING ROTTEN! July 16th

It was no secret that Christian Borle, who nabbed his second Tony Award for playing a rock star incarnation of William Shakespeare in the musical comedy hit SOMETHING ROTTEN!, would soon be hanging up the frilly Renaissance collar.

Borle has a busy season ahead of him, beginning with Lincoln Center Theater's revival of William Finn and James Lapine's FALSETTOS, which starts previews at the Walter Kerr on September 29th before an October 27th opening. He'll be playing commitment-phobic Marvin, who dumps his wife Trina (Stephanie J. Block) for the hunky Whizzer (Andrew Rannells). Then in March he'll be entering the world of "Pure Imagination" as Willy Wonka in the Broadway premiere of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

So SOMETHING ROTTEN! has just announced on Facebook a July 16th parting date for the Bard of the St. James Theatre. No replacement has been announced.

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 on Broadway at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44 Street).

Something Rotten! currently stars Tony Award-nominated Broadway favorite Rob McClure (Chaplin, Honeymoon In Vegas), two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher), Tony Award nominee John Cariani (Fiddler on the Roof), HeidiBlickenstaff ([title of show]), two-time Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar (The Producers), Kate Reinders (Wicked), David Beach (It's Only a Play, Fish in the Dark, Mamma Mia!), Edward Hibbert (It Shoulda Been You, The Drowsy Chaperone, "Frasier"), Gerry Vichi (The Drowsy Chaperone) and André Ward (Rock of Ages, Xanadu).

Photos: Joan Marcus