Nathan Lane Cancels Shows Due To Polyps

Nathan Lane, the star of "The Producers" on Broadway, has been forced to cancel performances due to suffering from polyps on his left vocal chord. He cancelled a full week of shows last week and has missed about 15 performances since the show debuted in April. The best rest for Lane has been prescribed as complete silence.

It is not unusual for Broadway vocalists to develop nodules on stressed-out vocal chords. In 1997 Julie Andrews had to have surgery to alleviate her similar problem; she then sued her doctor for malpractice claiming that she was unable to sing. The case was settled out of court last fall.

There is a possibility that Lane will only perform in six of the eight weekly shows by eliminating matinees on Wednesday and Saturday.

In the meantime, understudy Brad Oscar has been filling in for Lane.

Producers have offered refunds and ticket exchanges for unhappy ticketgoers who only want to see Lane act.