DEKALB, ILL, June 1, 2022 – Stage Coach Players (SCP) presents the new musical-comedy sensation that is Something Rotten! this June! The production, directed by Jan Kuntz, follows Nick and Nigel Bottom, as they struggle to find success in the theatrical period of time when their contemporary, William Shakespeare, ruled the stage like a rock star. The completely original Something Rotten! opens on June 9, 2022 and runs two weekends at Stage Coach Players’ Theatre in DeKalb.
The brothers have failed in their previous attempts to scale the theatrical heights like their contemporary, William Shakespeare. One day, however, Thomas Nostradamus suggests that the next big thing in theatre will be a ‘musical,’ where songs are incorporated into the play and actors, while saying their lines, out of nowhere just begin singing.
Nigel proposes that they do a play called, “The Brothers from Cornwall”, the story of the two brothers’ lives. Nick vetoes his brother, insisting the musical needs to be bigger, and decides to do a play about the Black Death. From there, things don’t go as planned. In the end, Something Rotten! is filled with memorable songs with merriment and heart.
The cast of Something Rotten! features Matt Weaver (Little Shop of Horrors) as Nick Bottom, Eli Oleson (The Producers) as Nigel Bottom, Sarah Scorzo (It Shoulda Been You) as Bea Bottom, Morgan Prentiss as Portia, Grant Milam (The Producers) as Shakespeare, Steven Meerdink (Elf, The Musical) as Nostradamus, Greg Anderson (Lend Me A Tenor) as Brother Jeremiah, and Brad Shortridge (Sweeney Todd) as Shylock.
The rest of the cast includes Deb Brubaker, Brock Demeter, Jill Danklefsen, Zack Eckhardt, Anaya Evans, Autumn Evans, Evan Ewing, Jeff Hall, Rachel Kurasz, Ashley Kelly, David Kuhn, Joel Ledbetter, Aaliyah McCormick, Valarie Milbrath, Patrick Murphy, Riley Powers, Piper Schiola-Williams, Charlie Sharp, Aljuwan (AJ) Smith, Wendy Tritt, and Bailey Wood.
One of the biggest reasons to go see Something Rotten!, says Sarah Scorzo, who play Nick’s wife Bea, is its hilarity and its easy to grasp story and songs. “It’s musical theatre that freely pokes fun of itself. It is quality humor with a heartfelt and relatable storyline.”
Steven Meerdink, who plays Thomas Nostradamus, added that Something Rotten! is a delightfully exuberant musical treat. “My attraction to it was, “The pure joy of presenting something so fun and frivolous, but with a heartfelt message of family.”
Something Rotten!, similarly to Hamilton, director Kuntz said, takes a look at history in unique ways. “These musicals make history relatable, and I certainly hope that people go away with a greater understanding of Shakespeare.”
Performances for Something Rotten! are Thurs. to Sun., June 9 – 11, 2022, and June 16 – June 18, 2022, with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. along with Sunday matinees on June 12 and June 19, 2022, with a curtain time of 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 each or $18 for seniors and children aged 13 and under. Tickets are currently on sale through the box office phone at 815-758-1940. To purchase tickets, visit our online website at www.stagecoachplayers.com. You can also call the SCP box office at 815-758-1940. The box office will open starting Sun., June 5, 2022, through Sun. June 19, 2022.
Thank you for being understanding as SCP navigates COVID-19 guidelines. For this production, masks are suggested but not required. If the state of Illinois guidelines change, our guidelines will change also. Thank you for helping us keep our patrons, cast and crew safe.
