Bill Heck to Take Over Role From Patrick J. Adams in 'Take Me Out' – The Hollywood Reporter
The Old Man and Leftovers actor Bill Heck is set to replace Patrick J. Adams in the second run of Second Stage Theater's Tony-winning musical Take Me Out.
Heck was announced as Adams' replacement on Thursday, along with the news that the entirety of the remaining original cast would be returning alongside stars Jesse Williams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. That includes Julian Cihi, Hiram Delgado, Brandon J. Dirden, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Michael Oberholtzer, Eduardo Ramos and Tyler Lansing Weaks. Michael Castillejos, Lance Takeshi, Stephen Wattrus and Tim Wright will serve as understudies on the production.
Heck will play Kippy, the shortstop for the fictional major league baseball team the Empires and friend to Williams' Darren Lemming, the team's star center fielder and a Black biracial athlete who goes public about his sexuality. Kippy also serves as the show's narrator. Heck has appeared in a number of film, TV and theater projects including Netflix's Locke & Key, Showtime's Ray Donovan and the Coen Brothers' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. He made his Broadway debut in the 2014 revival of Cabaret.
Adams shared news of his departure, the result of a schedule conflict with his role in the CBC original series Plan B, back in August alongside the announcement of the Take Me Out revival's return with former cast mates Williams and Ferguson.
"Good news: Take Me Out is coming back to Broadway this fall for another limited run. Sad news: My schedule is keeping me from coming along for the ride," Adams wrote in his Instagram post. "Great News: The brilliant @jessetyler and @ijessewilliams are going to be there and they are the beating heart of this once in a lifetime production. If you missed us the first time around be sure to get your tickets as soon as they go on sale. I can't wait to sit in that audience myself."
On Aug. 18, Second Stage announced that its revival of Richard Greenberg's play, directed by Scott Ellis, would be returning for a second limited run after its spring 2022 engagement garnered four Tony nominations, including a win for best revival of a play and a best featured actor in a play for Ferguson. Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, the show will run for 14 weeks at the Schoenfeld with opening night set for Oct. 27.
After a two-year delay due to the COVID shutdown on Broadway, the Take Me Out revival opened on April 4. During its celebrated run, the production would up its security and double down on enforcing its Yondr pouch requirement in order to protect the safety of the actors onstage during the show's nude scenes.