Will Chase has been announced to play the role of Rob, the record store owner who knows almost everything about pop music, but almost nothing about how to hang on to a girl, in the new Broadway romantic musical comedy
High Fidelity.
High Fidelity is a new Broadway musical comedy that marks the first-time collaboration of fast-rising songwriters
Tom Kitt (musical supervisor,
Debbie Does Dallas, composer of
Feeling Electric) and
Amanda Green (
For the Love of Tiffany, Up the Creek Without a Paddle), and the award-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (
Rabbit Hole, Fuddy Meers). The musical will be given its world-premiere production in the fall of 2006, with a pre-Broadway tryout starting September 26 at the Colonial Theatre in Boston (106 Boylston Street) and playing through October 22. It will then preview on Broadway in late November and open in early December at a theatre TBA. Tony Award-winning director
Walter Bobbie (
Chicago) directs
High Fidelity.Chase, who was most recently seen on Broadway in Lennon, has also appeared on Broadway in Rent, Miss Saigon, Aida and The Full Monty. He has been seen regionally in Mame, Son of Fire, Assassins and in the world premiere of Andrew Lippa's A Little Princess.
Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel (and the hit 2000 Touchstone Pictures film it inspired),
High Fidelity will be produced by
Avenue Q team
Jeffrey Seller, Robyn Goodman, and
Kevin McCollum.
The show "follows the adventures of Rob, a record store owner who knows almost everything about pop music, but almost nothing about how to hang onto a girl. Rob's love life, already a broken record of heartache, falls off the charts completely when he gets dumped by Laura….but that just sets him up for one of the top 5 romantic comebacks ever," state press notes.
According to the songwriters, it was "the wit, humor and humanity of Nick Hornby's characters and story," that attracted them to do a stage adaptation of
High Fidelity, a tale that "naturally lends itself to musical treatment. It is a socially acute contemporary love story about people who are obsessed with, and define themselves by pop music and culture. The hero's life is a soundtrack and the big moments are songs."
The musical will be choreographed by
Christopher Gattelli (
Altar Boyz), and will feature set design by Anna Louizos, costume design by Theresa Squire, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Acme Sound Partners.
Tickets for the Boston engagement of
High Fidelity are available through the Broadway Across America - Boston Subscription and Member programs 1-866-523-7469. For groups of 20 or more, call Broadway Across America - Boston Groups at 617-482-8616. For further information regarding Broadway in Boston, call 617-880-2400 or visit our web site at
www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.
