Nichols Broadway debut in "Pure Country" may be out

Nichols told CMT.com that due to the economic downturn, the Broadway planned show with Lorrie Morgan may be off.

Nichols was cast in the lead role as Rusty in the Broadway version of the 1992 George Strait film with Morgan as Lula. Rehearsals were slated to start earlier this year for the production. "The status is, I don't think it's gonna happen for me," he said Wednesday on CMT's web site.

"When they backed up the show, it put us in a difficult situation because we had blocked off about six to eight months of time just for that show," he said. "That's without touring, no media, no nothing. So now I just don't see that we could probably take another six-month gap in our schedule, especially with how hot 'Gimmie That Girl' is and the album."

Acknowledging that the show could happen, Nichols said, "But if we're in it, it might be a long shot." His current single, Gimmie That Girl, is number one this week on Billboard's country song chart.