IU Theatre & Dance continues its epic 2022/2023 theater season with Something Rotten!, the Shakespearean crowd-pleasing musical spoof. Created by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick, and successful screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, the story follows brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom in 1595 who are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as "The Bard." When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz. This production is made possible in part by funding from members of the Theatre Circle.
IU’s production of Something Rotten! is directed by professor of practice DJ Gray with music direction by doctoral candidate Brandon Magid. Per Gray, this production aims to showcase the incredible talent at IU. This show has a stellar cast who will bring a fresh sense of comedy to the piece. Along with spectacular tap dancing, the design team have come together to create fun surprises. Director, choreographer, and performer DJ Gray made her Broadway debut in the record-breaking musical The Producers and served as associate choreographer for Broadway’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Xanadu. She directs and choreographs internationally and is the area head for IU’s B.F.A. Musical Theatre program. Music director Brandon Magic made his Broadway debut with the acclaimed 2011 revival of Godspell and is currently a doctoral candidate in music education and choral conducting at the Jacobs School of Music.
Joining Gray on the creative team are M.F.A. candidates Valeria Nedviga (Scenic Designer), Lily Howder (Lighting Designer), Zephany Rivers (Costume Designer), David Davila (Dramaturg), and undergraduate Sound Designer Alec Lubin. The cast of Something Rotten! includes B.F.A. musical theatre candidates Matthew Mason Baker, Cat Barker, MacKenzie Bunzel-Hardie, Chandler Deppert, Amanda Fawell, Lucy Ferguson, Kate Glaser, Sydney Greene, Jaden Holtschlag, Jacob Jackson, Cynthia Kauffman, Jake Kline, Kendall Claire Lamont, Devin McDuffy, Alexa Norbeck, Maya Owens, Katy Plaziak, Alanna Porter, Laura Rong, Ryan Skurnak, Luke Swaller, Justin Tidd, Evan Vaughan, Malachi Watson, Mikayla White, and Hannah Zeldin. The team is led by stage manager Sydnie Leeson, with Lauren Clevenger (ASM), Sophie Frank (ASM), Rachel Petersson (PA), and Rachel Shearon (TD).
Wayne Kirkpatrick is the Grammy Award-winning songwriter of Change the World by Eric Clapton (Song of the Year). Top 10 singles include Every Heartbeat, Good for Me (Amy Grant); Wrapped Up in You (Garth Brooks); Boondocks, Bring It on Home, and Little White Church (Little Big Town). Karey Kirkpatrick began his career as a screen and songwriter for Disney Animation where he penned The Rescuers Down Under and James and the Giant Peach. With more than a dozen feature films produced, screenplay credits include Chicken Run (Golden Globe nominee for Outstanding Comedy), Charlotte's Web, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Over the Hedge, which he also co-directed. John O'Farrell, winner of the British Comedy Award is one of the UK's best known comic authors and script writers whose books have been translated into thirty languages and adapted for BBC Radio and television. Best-selling novels include The Best a Man Can Get, May Contain Nuts, and The Man Who Forgot His Wife.
What: IU Theatre & Dance presents Something Rotten! by Karey Kirkpatrick, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and John O’Farrell
When: March 14–22 Tues–Sat at 7:30pm with Saturday matinee at 2:00pm
Where: The Ruth N. Halls Theatre at the Lee Norvelle Theatre & Drama Center at Indiana University Bloomington
Tickets: $10 for children/students and $20 for adults
The College of Arts