Something Rotten! — directed by Roger DeLaurier this summer at PCPA — is a comedic spectacular that imparts a tall tale about the birth of musical theater. In 16th-century London, the Bottom brothers are theatre artists struggling in the shadow of their contemporary, the celebrated William Shakespeare. When a fortune-teller prophesizes that the next big thing in entertainment will be a “musical,” the brothers immediately begin working on the first ever piece of musical theater.
Emily Trask plays the strong, pragmatic wife, Bea Bottom. Her relationship with her husband shows the relatable situation of a motivated partner taking on extra responsibilities to help support their significant other’s art. “She’s definitely ahead of her time,” says Trask. “The character is a fabulous blend of multiple Shakespearean heroines, especially the iconic ‘pants roles’ (where women disguise themselves as men to upend the rules and get things done).”
Meanwhile, Shakespeare is a strutting peacock lavished with praise by fawning devotees. Trask points out that because there’s relatively little known about Shakespeare’s personal life, people have the latitude to insert the playwright into new stories. “Usually, when Shakespeare shows up in ‘fan fiction,’ he’s the hero,” says Trask. “Not in Something Rotten! He’s a full-of-himself celebrity.” She calls the show a “fun, cheeky take on a guy we’ve been idolizing for centuries.”
Music Director Paul Marszalkowski describes the show’s musical style as a “pastiche of 100 years of musical theater,” so expect theatrical Easter eggs galore.
“The music is a zany mashup of classic Broadway, Renaissance style, and tongue-in-cheek parody,” says Trask. The show has several full-chorus extravaganza numbers that Director/Choreographer Keenon Hooks has infused with inspiration from classic Broadway styles. The show also requires about 150 costumes and more than 700 costume pieces to dress everyone from rock-star Shakespeare to street urchins.
Written by John O’Farrell and Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten! runs at the Solvang Festival Theater August 1-23. For more information, see pcpa.org.
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