David Rasche Replaces Craig Bierko in MTC's To Be or Not to Be on Broadway

David Rasche is replacing Tony nominee Craig Bierko, who departed Manhattan Theatre Club's upcoming Broadway production of Nick Whitby's To Be or Not to Be. The new play is scheduled to begin previews at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre formerly the Biltmore on September 11 and open on October 2.

No reason was given for Bierko's departure. "Craig is a gifted actor and although he will be missed, I look forward to the possibility of working with him again in the future," the production's director, Casey Nicholaw said in a statement. Executive Producer Barry Grove and Acting Artistic Director Daniel Sullivan said, "We respect Craig's decision to leave the production and we will announce his replacement shortly."

Rasche appeared in MTC's world premiere of Paul Rudnick's Regrets Only. He most recently on the New York stage in the Classic Stage Company production of The Seagull, for which he received the 2008 Richard Seff Award. His Broadway credits include the original run of Speed-the-Plow as a replacement, Getting and Spending, Lunch Hour and The Shadow Box. In addition to appearing in many David Mamet works Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Edmond, he is best known for his recurring TV roles on shows like Sledge Hammer!, DAG, Nurses, All My Children and Ryan's Hope. His film credits include the Coen Brothers' newest Burn After Reading, the upcoming In The Loop and Blue Eyes as well as Flags of Our Fathers.

Brian Murray departed the cast of To Be or Not to Be on August 20 and was replaced by Peter Maloney.

Rasche will play Josef Tura opposite Jan Maxwell in Whitby's adaptation of the 1942 film comedy. At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, the Turas are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theater is closed by the censors, forcing the troupe to face desperate times. But when a handsome young bomber pilot enlists their help to catch a spy, what is a group of actors to do?

In addition to Rasche, Maxwell and Maloney, the cast of To Be or Not to Be includes Peter Benson, Robert Dorfman, Steve Kazee, Michael McCarty, Kristine Nielsen, Brandon Perler, Rocco Sisto, Jimmy Smagula and Marina Squerciati.