Something Rotten! is a comedic musical that tells the story of the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, who are playwrights living in Elizabethan England. The plot is set in 1595, when the Bottom brothers are struggling to compete with the wild success of their contemporary, William Shakespeare. 

Production Credits

DIRECTOR- Adam Jones

MUSIC DIRECTOR- Terry Shaw

ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR- Onyx Walsh

CHOREOGRAPHERS- Lily Dickinson & Romi Scroggs

COSTUMERS- Dani Swan, Sophie Thompson

Director's Note

In a previous job, I taught both history and theatre. My 9th grade history course began with the Renaissance. It was one of my favorite periods to teach on and I always started our first class of the year by playing Welcome to the Renaissance, the first song of tonight’s show. Little did I know that I would one day get to direct such a phenomenal group of actors and technicians in a run of Something Rotten. 

Renaissance means “rebirth”. It was a time of innovation and exploration. A time when a whole new world seemed to appear, inspiring art and literature that has endured for centuries. The paintings of Leonardo and Raphael, the sculptures of Michelangelo and Donatello (because yes, I did grow up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and the plays of Shakespeare continue to astound and amaze us 500 years after their creation. The invention of the printing press set off a growth in technology that took us to the moon and gave us the internet. 

But tonight, we come to lampoon the Renaissance, not to praise it! In Something Rotten’s hilarious skewering of Shakespeare, period attitudes towards gender and race, and musical theatre itself, it also manages to hold up a mirror reminding us of both how far we have come and how far we have left to travel. 

In our current era of turmoil and strife, we hope that tonight’s show gives you a good laugh and points you towards our common humanity. And, in doing so, maybe plays a part in a new era of rebirth. All the world is a stage, right? 

Welcome to our stage. 

Welcome to the Renaissance. 

Dr. Adam Jones

Our "Shylock Note"

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Shylock?

In The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare introduced the character of Shylock, a Jewish resident of the titular city and a moneylender. The character has always been controversial. While some readers have focused on Shylock’s courtroom speech in which he makes an impassioned plea for recognizing the humanity of marginalized and oppressed groups, others have focused on not just the lazy and horrible stereotypes Shakespeare used with Shylock, but the subsequent use of the character in the antisemitic propaganda of the Nazis and other hate groups. 

The creators of Something Rotten wrote their version of Shylock as an attempt to counter these harmful stereotypes and history with some healing humor. In our production, we wanted to approach the subject with respect and care. Shylock reflects the historically accurate detail that, in much of Renaissance Europe, Jewish citizens were legally denied the right to participate in other professions and occupations. Additionally, removing or editing the character would not only break copyright laws, but would erase a Jewish presence from the production. There are far too many attempts to do that in our present day. 

So we delved into the character as written in the material: a passionate, theatre-loving individual who jumps in to help a friend and realizes a lifelong dream in the process. A man who to his own self is true and, thus, canst not then be false to any man. An archetype, rather than a harmful stereotype. 

In the end, this choice was rooted in respect for the material, for history, and for the people reflected onstage and in the audience.Theatre has the power to interrogate history, not repeat it uncritically. Our responsibility, then, is not to shy away from complicated characters, but to engage with them honestly and intentionally. Through this portrayal of Shylock, we hope to celebrate joy, creativity, and humanity, without erasure, and without apology.  In choosing to tell this story thoughtfully, we invite our audience to laugh, yes, but also to reflect on how representation evolves, how stories can be reclaimed, and how empathy can be an act of resistance. In doing so, we allow Something Rotten to do what musical comedy does best: use humor to open a door, and heart to keep it open.

Dr. Adam Jones

Director