McCarthy (Urinetown, Side Show, Pirate Queen) will return to the role of Scribonius, which he previously played in the 2009 Berkeley Repertory Theatre production of You, Nero. A reason was not provided for Vietor's departure.

In order to allow McCarthy sufficient rehearsal time with the cast, Arena Stage has canceled four preview performances beginning with the 7:30 PM performance on Nov. 29. The production will resume Dec. 3 at 8 PM. Directed by Nicholas Martin, You, Nero will open as scheduled Dec. 8. It will continue through Jan. 1, 2012.

The cast also includes Danny Scheie in the title role, Susannah Schulman as Poppaea, Kasey Mahaffy as Fabiolo, Nancy Robinette as Agrippina, Laurence O'Dwyer as Burrus and John C. Vennema as Seneca.

Here's how Arena bills You, Nero: "Rome collapses beneath Nero's outrageous narcissism, a forgotten playwright tries to restore order through the art of theatre. Amid the chaos of crime, lust and politics, convincing the world's most famous debaucher to choose virtue over vice proves to be a Herculean task. Amy Freed's wild romp questions whether well-crafted drama and intellect are any match for decadence and good old-fashioned bloodshed."

Pulitzer Prize finalist Freed (Freedomland, The Beard of Avon) is an Arena American Voices New Play Institute resident playwright.

Arena Stage is at 1101 Sixth St., in Southwest Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.arenastage.org.