Drama prepares for upcoming spring musical ‘Something Rotten’

Sophomore Patrick Keogh (left) and junior Kat Aldrete (right) practice their dance choreography during the “Something Rotten” rehearsal.

Filled with humor and all sorts of interesting characters, the musical is a one-of-a-kind play that the drama class is excited to perform.

During performances that run from April 26 to May 4, a cast of 24 actors will step out onto the McAfee Center stage to perform the well-liked musical “Something Rotten.”

The musical, written by John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick in 2015, tells the comedic tale of two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, both aspiring playwrights in the late 1500s competing with one William Shakespeare.

In order to beat him at something, the brothers go to a fortune teller, who tells them to write a musical, something they had never heard of. They decide to name the musical “Omelet,” a parody name for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

According to drama director Benjamin Brotzman, the musical was built on a myth that many of Shakespeare’s ideas originated from Greek writings and mythology, which is shown in the musical.

“Because rumors about Shakespeare copying other works were circulating at the time, the play sort of portrays Shakespeare as a shady character,” Brotzman said.

The two main characters, Nick and Nigel, will be played by junior Apollo Burgess and Maheshwar. Maheshwar said she auditioned for the play as it is one of her all-time favorites — she first fell in love with the play after watching it on Broadway in 7th grade.

“It’s such a funny show and there are so many easter eggs for all the theater fans out there,” Maheshwar said. “I really wanted to finish off senior year with a bang, and I knew that this would be a perfect role for me.”

Alongside the two main protagonists, the musical will feature a variety of interesting characters, such as Shakespeare, who will be played by junior Ryan Backus, as well as Nigel’s wife Portia, who will be played by junior Niraali Garg.

During daily after-school rehearsals in the Thermond Drama Center, Brotzman has used a system called “skeleton blocking,” in which he plans out the itinerary and goals of the day. The point of this is to keep rehearsals on track, and it is crucial for mastering choreography and singing over the weeks leading up to the play, he said.

“I do this so that the production can move smoothly and according to schedule,” Brotzman said, “especially because the cast has a lot of choreography and singing to learn over the course of the next couple of months.”

For the auditory aspect of the production, choir teacher and music and vocal director Elizabeth Nitzan will organize the musical numbers. Although most of the cast members have extensive experience in drama productions, students with no musical background are always welcome to audition in musicals.

“A lot of us are actually doing a musical for the first time this year,” Maheshwar said. “It’s perfectly fine if you don’t have previous singing experience; the whole thing is just supposed to be for fun, and there’s no pressure if you’re not a good singer either.”

The drama team is excited to perform for their audience and leave an impact on them.

“The whole message of the play is ‘to thine own self be true,’” and it’s honestly such a beautiful message,” Brotzman said. “I think it also pertains to our whole team, because theater is a place that brings so many different kinds of people together, and it’s where we can just be ourselves.”