Bierko Drops Out of 'To Be Or Not To Be' Cast

Craig Bierko has departed the upcoming Broadway production of TO BE OR NOT TO BE.

Director Casey Nicholaw said, "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."

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."

TO BE OR NOT TO BE will begin previews as scheduled at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (214 West 47th Street) on Thursday, September 11 and open on Thursday, October 2.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE will be the first production of Manhattan Theatre Club's 2008-2009 season. The limited engagement will begin previews at the soon to be renamed Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) on Thursday, September 11 and will open on Thursday, October 2. As previously announced, the Biltmore Theatre will be renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Thursday, September 4.

At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, Josef and Maria Tura (Jan Maxwell) are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theatre 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? This hilarious black comedy is an ingenious commentary on the World War II era and an inspired tribute to the timeless joys of the theatre.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. Renowned MTC productions include Top Girls; From Up Here; Come Back, Little Sheba; The Receptionist; LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; Kimberly Akimbo; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin'.

In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway's landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, soon to be renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, MTC operates two theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street), its Off-Broadway home since 1984.

During Meadow's sabbatical this season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), has been serving as Acting Artistic Director. Meadow will resume her full duties as artistic director in September and is consulting on the planning of the 2008-2009 season.

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Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.