CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 03, 2024

Yes, those standing ovations at Something Rotten! are real — just ask Portia and Bea

Intermission Magazine: For those who’ve spent the summer living under a rock, Something Rotten! (written by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell) is the undisputed blockbuster of the 2024 Stratford Festival. Set in London during the Renaissance, the raucously cheeky musical follows Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers trying to run a theatre company under the gargantuan shadow of William Shakespeare. The show features countless high-energy dance numbers — welcome back, director-choreographer Donna Feore — and includes dozens of memorable costumes, many of which are egg-themed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would love to learn more about the Stratford Festival and the theatre scene in general in Canada. They mentioned that getting a standing ovation at all is rare in Canada, so I wonder what the general theatre etiquette and feeling towards theatre is within their culture. I love that they mentioned that the cast leaves little notes and easter eggs for each other backstage and on props, that's a great way to keep the energy and excitement through the run of a professional show. Without doing little things like that, I'm sure it is easy for the job to become more rehearsed and less real, less exciting. Finally, I'm curious to know which points in Act 1 the audience gave a standing ovation for. I recently worked on Something Rotten myself, and it is a really fun show. Since it is a newer musical, not everyone knows it, but there are tons of easter eggs within the show that any audience member can enjoy. Whether you only know Disney shows or are a theatre fanatic, there are plenty of jokes to go around on every level. Something Rotten is a hilarious show and I'm not surprised to hear that audiences loved it.

Lydia Johnson said...

This was me (I accidentally posted anonymously).