By Advocate.com Editors

Originally published on Advocate.com May 03 2001 12:00 AM ET

Eric McCormack, Will of TV’s popular gay-themed sitcom Will & Grace, will be taking over the lead role of Harold Hill in Broadway’s The Music Man at the end of the month. He is apparently making a policy during the rehearsal period not to watch his predecessor, Craig Bierko, do the role. The New York Post quotes a source referred to only as “a snitch” as saying, “Eric can’t bear Craig—he thinks he is just a dreadful actor—and he refuses to watch Craig’s performances.” McCormack, currently rehearsing for the role, denies the report: “I think Craig is fantastic, so much so that I decided seeing his performances too many times would be more intimidating than helpful, so I’ve purposefully stayed away during rehearsals, concentrating on coming up with my own Harold.”