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.
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