TUTS takes viewers on a romp through Elizabethan England in Something Rotten!, to August 27
The musical comedy alternates evenings with We Will Rock You for Theatre Under the Stars’ 2022 season
Something Rotten! Photo by Emily Cooper
Theatre Under the Stars presents Something Rotten!, alternating with We Will Rock You, at Malkin Bowl to August 27
SOMETHING ROTTEN! is happening at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl this summer. The musical plays on alternating nights during Theatre Under the Stars’ 2022 season, swapping out with We Will Rock You. (Read Stir’s feature article about the Queen tribute here.)
Sixteenth-century Shakespeare meets 21st-century Broadway in the show by Grammy-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick and screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell that sends up classics such as West Side Story, South Pacific, and Les Misérables. Time Out New York called Something Rotten! “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years”.
Helmed by Rachel Peake in her TUTS directorial debut, Something Rotten! follows Nick and Nigel Bottom (played by Kamyar Pazandeh and Vicente Sandoval respectively), two Renaissance-era playwright siblings whose dreams of writing a hit show are hampered by the raging success of a certain William Shakespeare (Daniel Curalli). A soothsayer named Nostradamus (Jyla Robinson) offers a winning strategy for the brothers: the creation a brand new form of theatre, the musical. Katie-Rose Connors appears as Nick’s wife, Bea, while Cassandra Consiglio (Schmigadoon!) portrays Nigel’s love interest.
Peake, who is associate artistic director of the Arts Club, is a three-time Jessie Richardson Award winner.
“Something Rotten! is a playful romp through Elizabethan England, filled with satirical comedy and big show stopping numbers,” TUTS board president Patrick Roberge says in a release.
Choreography is by Nicol Spinola, music direction by Brent Hughes, set design by Shizuka Kai, costume design by Stephanie Kong, lighting design by Robert Sondergaard, and sound design is by Bradley Danyluk.
See TUTS for tickets and more info.
Related Articles
The show, produced by Theatre Conspiracy in association with Pi Theatre, finds contemporary resonances in Eugène Ionesco’s 20th-century works
Wug, Kravga, and Moog deliver a take on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy that, in addition to copious amounts of crude humour, has its share of chillingly effective moments
Ensemble Theatre Company taps into the humid haze of a Tennessee Williams classic where love and self-deception mingle
Standout performances and design bring infectious energy to Disney’s tale of love and self-discovery
Bold update by Kate Besworth brings mythic figures closer to us while continuing to ask the ancient questions posed by Sophocles
Fierce company transforms characters by committing to the popular musical’s blend of disco, soul, and gospel
Presented by the fest and Boca del Lupo, the multifaceted one-woman show carries long-standing reflections on workout culture and the life-altering effects of a pandemic
Now streaming on Knowledge.ca, John Bolton–helmed movie stars Niall McNeil, Marcus Youssef, Veda Hille, Nathan Kay, and more, in a mix of artists with and without Down syndrome
With live music and innovative touches, a collective of established Vancouver stage artists brings eco-horror play about disappearing bees to life at the Vines Den
Part of Ensemble’s summer festival, Jiehae Park’s play references Macbeth as it takes on the power dynamics of U.S. college admissions
Great performances and impeccable set design and stage management ensure that the comedy about a hapless theatre company is a chaotic mess in all the right ways
In playwright Kate Besworth and director Ming Hudson’s adaptation, contemporary language highlights the continuing relevance of Sophocles’ 5th century BC tragedy
Bold and bloody new take on “the Scottish Play” speaks effectively to an era of intense societal fears, with postapocalyptic atmosphere to burn
The Vancouver performer straps on the platform shoes and readies her powerhouse voice for musical based on the movies she grew up watching
Homage to Eugène Ionesco is presented by Rumble Theatre and produced by Theatre Conspiracy in association with Pi Theatre
In a shamelessly fun update, the comedy’s colourful schemers, lovers, and busybodies are regulars at a Vancouver community centre during World Cup fever
WUG, KRAGVA, and MOOG return to the Shakespeare festival for a hysterical take on the titular Greek tale
The Arts Club director says the smash-hit U.K. show is one of the most technically demanding comedies ever written
At The Cultch’s York Theatre, wonderfully weird characterizations meet gravity-defying feats in a raucously unpretentious banger that has “hit” written all over it
Whether you’re looking for a quick drink and snack, conversation, reflection, or people-watching, these airy meeting places hit their marks
Playwright Kate Besworth and director Ming Hudson team up for a contemporary adaptation of the classical Sophocles tragedy
Cheeky, DIY theatre event aimed to throw light on the stage scene’s unsung heroes—and ended up selling out
The veteran theatre artist grappled with big questions of good and evil, and took inspiration from genre films, for his visually stylized new adaptation
Elevated visual design and a strong, multitasking cast bring ample Newfoundland warmth to new Arts Club Theatre Company and Citadel Theatre coproduction
