It's Official! Martin Short Will Replace Nathan Lane in It’s Only a Play; Show Will Move Theater & Extend

It's official! As Broadway.com first reported, Tony winner Martin Short will replace Nathan Lane as James Wicker in an extended run of the star-studded It’s Only a Play. Lane is set to headline BAM’s The Iceman Cometh in February. Short will begin performances in the role on January 7, 2015; Lane will play his final show on January 4, the date the production had initially been set to complete its limited run.

The Terrence McNally comedy will now play at its current home, the Schoenfeld Theatre, through January 18 before moving to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, where it will begin performances on January 23. It will remain there through March 29.  It's Only a Play also stars Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, F. Murray Abrahm, Stockard Channing, Rupert Grint and Micah Stock.

Short took home a Tony Award for his performance in Little Me. He was also nominated for The Goodbye Girl and headlined Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. He shares an Emmy with John Candy, Andrea Martin and more for their writing on SCTV. His additional screen credits include Father of the Bride, Mars Attacks!, Three Amigos, Innerspace, Saturday Night Live and Primetime Glick.

It's Only a Play, directed by Jack O’Brien, is set on the opening night of Broderick's character Peter Austin's new play as he anxiously awaits to see if his show is a hit. With his career on the line, he shares his big first night with his best friend, a television star (Lane), his fledgling producer (Mullally), his erratic leading lady (Channing), his wunderkind director (Grint), an infamous drama critic (Abraham), and a wide-eyed coat check attendant (Stock) on his first night in Manhattan.

The Helen Mirren-led The Audience begins previews at the Schoenfeld on February 17, 2015.