TWITTER WATCH: SOMETHING ROTTEN!'s Christian Borle and Will Chase's Changing Of The Bard

There's a new Shakespeare in town, as Will Chase takes over the role of Something Rotten!'s rock star bard tonight.

Christian Borle, who won his second Tony Award for playing the narcissistic playwright, departed from the musical this weekend, and will be seen later this season as Marvin in Roundabout's Broadway revival of FALSETTOS and then as Willie Wonka in the Broadway premiere of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Also departing Something Rotten! are original stars John Cariani, Heidi Blickenstaff and Kate Reinders, so taking their initial bows with Chase tonight are new stars Josh Grisetti as Nigel Bottom, Leslie Kritzer as Bea and Catherine Brunell as Portia.

Chase and Borle marked the event with a Changing Of The Bard Ceremony, as the departing Shakespeare placed his collar around the neck of his successor.

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 (John 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.