Thursday, November 7, 2024

Updated: Christian Borle Leaving “Starcatcher,” Heading Back to “Smash”

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It does seem like Christian Borle, star of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” is leaving the kooky play soon after Sunday’s Tony Awards. A casting call has gone out for his character, “Black Stache,” the antagonist of everything that goes on in the play with music. (This has been a confusing year of plays with music and musicals with plays–or something like that.) Borle probably has to leave to get ready for second season taping of the NBC show, “Smash.” Even though “Smash” won’t return to the NBC lineup until after the beginning of next year, the episodes for season two begin filming in July.

The casting call sheet is looking for a new “Stache” immediately. The first performance is set for either July 2 or July 9.  Borle is nominated for a Tony Award as a featured actor (he’s been nominated before, for “Legally Blonde”).  This year he’s up against Michael Cumpsty, Andrew Garfield, Tom Edden, and Jeremy Shamos. He’s great in “Starcatcher,” but the show itself is only doing so -so at the box office. Without any Tony wins, “Starcatcher” — which started off Broadway– may be facing a closing notice by the end of the summer. (Try and see it–it’s a very clever show.)

A rep for “Starcatcher” says that they know Borle has to leave for “Smash”–they just want to be ready when he does.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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