Shakespeare has some competition in “Something Rotten!” at the Marriott Theatre. The Bottom Brothers, Nick and Nigel, plan to create a new theatrical genre — a musical. The hit Broadway comedy, which garnered 10 Tony nominations, premieres at the theater from Aug. 28-Oct. 20.
Performances are 1 and 7:30 p.m. most Wednesdays; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays. There is a 1 p.m. matinee on Oct. 9 and 16. The last performance is 1 p.m. Oct. 20.
“It’s so funny,” declared director Scott Weinstein. “I’ve always loved musicals and I’ve always loved Shakespeare. I’m also a history buff. That combination of musicals and Shakespeare and the Renaissance were like a perfect storm for me.”
Chances are most audience members won’t have previously seen this show, which is set in 1595, but Weinstein is confident they will love the comedy and clever premise.
“A competitor of Shakespeare’s is feeling so frustrated by all of Shakespeare’s success that he goes to a soothsayer to try to find out what is the next big thing and discovers that it’s a musical,” Weinstein said. “Through a number of crossed wires, the soothsayer thinks that Shakespeare’s next big hit is going to be called ‘Omelet’ instead of ‘Hamlet.'”
Consequently, Nick Bottom and his brother Nigel start writing the musical version of “Omelet.”
KJ Hippensteel plays Nick Bottom. “Nick is struggling with trying to do things fast and he cannot keep up — and more than anything jealousy,” the actor said. “He wants that one nugget that will make him a star, even for a fleeting moment.”
Hippensteel is sure that audiences will appreciate the show’s many Shakespeare references. “I think that Chicago audiences especially are very attuned to Shakespeare,” he observed.
The actor added that another fun element is that the musical “is a spoof on a spoof. I was circling all the musical references in my script and I was amazed. It’s like every line is some sort of homage to a musical that’s come before. It’s brilliantly done. I think anybody who knows musicals very well is going to be blown away by the connection it has to the history of musical theater.”
Alex Goodrich plays Nick’s brother Nigel. “One of my favorite things about this show is that it is set in Renaissance England but it is filled with anachronisms from this time period,” Goodrich said. “While the costume pieces are of the Renaissance, the costumes and props also kind of tip their hats in a very silly way to the modern day.”
That’s also true of the script. Goodrich cited the example of the lines, “There’s a woman on the throne. By 1600, women will be completely equal to men.”
Whereas Nick is a playwright and actor, Nigel is “a poet at heart,” Goodrich said. “Nigel is a romantic and he is also unsure of himself. He starts off the show full of ideas and passion and abilities with words but without any kind of self-confidence.”
Goodrich particularly connects with this show because he was in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of “Hamlet” in the spring.
“I got to be in ‘Hamlet,’ and then write ‘Hamlet’ in the parody of ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Omelet’ in the same year,” Goodrich joked. In this show, he added, “It is a treat and a delight to have such wonderful lines to say.”
“It’s a big show,” director Weinstein declared. “Every number is a production number.”
It’s also a show with a lot of heart, he explained. “It’s a story about the lengths we go to for family and the anxieties of creating art.”
‘Something Rotten’
When: Sept. 4-Oct 20; previews begin Aug. 28
Where: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
Tickets: $50-$60
Information: 847-634-0200; www.marriotttheatre.com
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance writer for Pioneer Press.
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