The Saskatchewan actor who plays the lead role in an upcoming musical comedy about Toronto's embattled mayor says some people think he is the "real" Rob Ford.

Sheldon Bergstrom was chosen last month from nearly 100 hopefuls for "Rob Ford the Musical: Birth of A Ford Nation."

He spoke to reporters as rehearsals for the 90-minute musical began ahead of its debut at Toronto's Factory Theatre on Sept. 16.

Bergstrom says his efforts to meet Ford have been unsuccessful, but he says the mayor is likely to have a lot of fun if he comes to see the show.

Meanwhile, the producer of the musical says he doesn't believe the show will have any effect on next month's mayoral election.

Brett McCaig says it would be nice to think that a small show could have an impact on a major city election, but he highly doubts it.