‘DWTS’ Celeb James Van Der Beek Leads ‘Bye, Bye, Birdie’ Revival Cast

Former Dancing with the Stars celebrity James Van Der Beek, one of the most popular celebrity cast members of Season 28, has been cast in a new theater production of Bye, Bye, Birdie. The play will be performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

James will play the role of Albert Peterson. Albert is a New York songwriter who doesn’t know how to deal with the fact that his teen idol singer client, Conrad Birdie, has been drafted into the army, reported People Magazine.

The 1960 Broadway musical is heavy on singing and dancing, and its story is loosely based on when rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley was drafted into the army in 1953.

Cast alongside James in the production is Tony winner Harvey Fierstein and Broadway stars Carly Hughes, Mallory Bechtel, Ann Harada, Reg Rogers, and Caitlin Kinnunen.

The iconic show has also been staged as a film, released in 1963, and as a television movie in 1995.

The lead role of Conrad Birdie has yet to be cast in the show that will begin April 23 and run through April 28.

In an Instagram share where he revealed the exciting news, James commented that he has “the weirdest career of anyone” after years in the spotlight as the star of Dawson’s Creek, Don’t Trust The B in Apartment 23, and How I Met Your Mother.

Fans of the actor were thrilled at the news. They expressed themselves through congratulatory remarks in the accompanying comments section to the share.

“Because you don’t limit yourself. Keep exploring, keep evolving, keep surprising yourself… and best of luck!” said one fan of the actor and father of five.

“You are just so comfortable in your own skin. And actually cool. I knew when I saw you 25 years ago on Dawson’s Creek that you were a star,” remarked a second admirer of the actor who appears to have been following his career for many years.

“Its awesome man! And Harvey is just golden talent! So very cool you will be working with him,” stated a third fan of James’ opportunity to work alongside Broadway royalty.

James showed that he can dance just as well as the professionals when he appeared alongside partner Emma Slater on Dancing with the Stars, a skillset that will serve him well in his new job.

Throughout Season 28, he appeared to be a contender for the show’s mirrorball trophy. After revealing his wife Kimberly had miscarried their sixth child, James was eliminated during the show’s semifinals in favor of pop singer Ally Brooke.

Judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli understood how the traumatic event had affected him but had to abide by the show’s rules to score on performance only, which they felt was not good enough to make it to the finals.