Something’s Rotten, But it Wasn’t the Musical

Gilman’s production of Something Rotten! was wildly entertaining and a great show. What first struck me was the ornate set and costumes. The play, taking place in late sixteenth-century Elizabethan England, captured the extravagance of Renaissance fashion incredibly. 

Something Rotten! follows the story of two brothers battling against William Shakespeare, played by Grayson Mickel ‘25, for playwriting glory. The protagonists Nick and Nigel Bottom, played by Zach Fader ‘25 and Dylan Moyar ‘26, had been dominated by Shakespeare in their battle so far and are searching for their breakthrough play. The play contains many ironies, the first being that Shakespeare participated in an acting troupe with Nick and Nigel. 

After a few years of performing musicals with slightly more serious themes, Something Rotten! had a much different vibe. Performing a comedy adds a completely new dimension to the live theater experience. I had the pleasure of seeing the show on Thursday and Friday. Due to the comedic nature of the show, the atmosphere around the show was different for each night. On Thursday, Director Mr. Rowell said the theater had a “sort of opening night energy” that complemented the play really well. Zach explained, “Thursday felt more like a sports game, where the crowd was dominated by students coming out to support the boys, and Friday was a crowd who wanted to see some theater.” 

Zach’s role as Nick Bottom was done especially well, and the relationships he has are crucial to the musical. The relationship most central to the musical is between Nick and Nigel. Both Zach and Dylan are brothers, and Mr. Rowell said that this was a point of emphasis for these characters and helped them and the audience to understand their relationship better. Zach shared this sentiment. He explained, “It really felt like a big brother, little brother relationship. I would drive him home from practice and show him around because he was new to the school.” They showed the competitive, argumentative, but also loving nature of brotherhood that Mr. Rowell wanted to bring out. 

Another significant relationship His relationship with his wife is introduced in Scene 4 with the song “Right Hand Man.” Other than learning about Nick’s financial struggles, we also understand that he does not view his wife as an equal - Nick does not want her to work a job. She rebels and disguises herself as a man and gets a job anyway. By the end of the play, she helps Nick realize how valuable she is. Mr. Rowell says that she definitely helps Nick become a better husband, and he recognizes his previously dismissive and sexist behavior. 

Taking place in the Renaissance, Shakespeare was not the only obstacle for the Bottom brothers. Brother Jeremiah, played by Gabe Zerhouni 25’, is a priest in the English Puritan church who hates the playwrights and believes they are sinful. Surprisingly, the audience suspects the priest to be gay himself. In many scenes he is shown, there are often flagrant suggestions that he is not so virtuous. In the song “We See The Light,” all the Puritans remove their vests, revealing a colorful undershirt. Brother Jeremiah is, at first, outraged but later removes his vest to reveal a rainbow undershirt to which the crowd filled with laughter on both nights. Mr. Rowell says that the original script did not have him wearing a rainbow vest, but he felt it was funny and fitting for his character. In the final song of the musical “Welcome to America,” Gabe is wearing an equally flamboyant vest, which Mr. Rowell said was meant to be a reconciling moment for him after being a nuisance to our protagonists all play, which was also not in the original stage directions but he wanted Brother Jeremiah to have a moment of redemption and a clean slate in America.

One dynamic that the crowd was rooting for, especially on Thursday Night, was between Portia, played by Ava Linehan ‘26 from  Roland Park Country School, and Nigel Bottom, played by Dylan Moyar ‘26. Portia was the daughter of the Puritan Priest brother Jeremiah, who forces her to condemn all literature except the Bible. However, her forbidden love of poetry and Shakespeare inevitably draws her to Nigel. Nigel is the escape from the inequality she constantly faces from her father, and the audience understands that Nigel immediately sees her as an equal. The crowd loved this.

Something Rotten!  also focuses on giving agency to oppressed characters. One example of a marginalized character is Shylock the Jew, played by Logan Haerian ‘24, who is portrayed as a stereotypical money lender - consistent with the portrayal of Jewish people throughout Shakespeare’s plays. He overcomes the stereotype and produces the first-ever musical in the New World. The final song, “Welcome to America,” really emphasizes the freedom from oppression many characters receive and grants them all a new slate. 

The musical also addresses self-truths. Nick and Nigel both battle with the self-truths of artistic integrity. Nigel is a poet and feels wrong about the production of “Omelette” that Nick wants to put on. He wants to maintain a high level of artistic integrity and create a masterpiece, not something that is, in the words of Nostradamus, played by Jameson Maumenee ‘24, “Less taxing on the brain.” On the other hand, Nick is less concerned with the quality of the play and only wants to outshine Shakespeare, but by the end of the play, he comes to value the importance of authenticity in his work.  

After an amazing performance which I thoroughly enjoyed, I am excited for what is to come for this young group of Stage Hounds.