Valerie Harper Replaced: After Hospitalization, Harper Bows Out Of Maine Musical

Valerie Harper has been replaced in Nice Work If You Can Get It, which is playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. The actress bowed out of the role after she was rushed to the hospital last week. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Harper was found unconscious backstage at a the show last week. While she has been released from the hospital and is said to be doing better, she has decided to take some additional time to rest.

According to People Magazine, Valerie Harper has been replaced by Brenda Vaccaro. Vaccaro will play Millicent Winter through the middle of the month (the show runs through Aug. 15).

“Valerie is feeling great right now and we want her to continue to rest and to enjoy her family. After discussing with them, we decided that we wanted to relieve her of any pressure of having to return to the show, which only runs for two more weeks. With Valerie’s blessing, the Ogunquit Playhouse is thrilled to announce that Brenda Vaccaro, star of film, television and stage, has arrived in Ogunquit to take over the role of Millicent Winter,” said the playhouse’s artistic director, Bradford Kenney.

Although Valerie Harper has been replaced in Nice Work If You Can Get It, that doesn’t necessarily mean that she is on her deathbed. While she has been battling brain cancer since 2013, Harper insists that she is doing okay following last week’s episode. According to Page Six, Harper was rushed to York General Hospital on Wednesday, but was released the very next day (there had been rumors circulating that she was in a coma, but those rumors were not true).

On August 1, Harper posted the following message on her Facebook page.

“My dear friends and fans! As always, thank you for your amazing support. I am happy to report I am not, nor have I been, in a coma. As anyone who has taken strong medication knows, it doesn’t always agree with you, even with me as this experience proves. I am confronting these hurdles with my usual enthusiasm and love of life. Much love, Valerie.

P.S. But I must confess that the highlight of this ordeal came when I was escorted by two handsome young men and a pilot, in a medivac helicopter, as the full moon lit the sky. Talk about movie magic!!!”

Despite being replaced, Valerie Harper does seem to be in great spirits. Her positive attitude could be the very thing getting her through — her cancer is terminal, but she has been living her life to the fullest, and has even surprised all of her doctors.

[Photo by Valerie Macon / Getty Images Entertainment]