Photo Coverage: Inside the SOMETHING ROTTEN! Gypsy Robe Ceremony

The company of SOMETHING ROTTEN! just celebrated the beloved Broadway tradition of the Gypsy Robe. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO's Joseph Medeiros bestowed the robe upon SOMETHING ROTTEN!'s Matt Wall, and BroadwayWorld was on the scene for the occasion. Check out photos from the ritual below!

The Gypsy Robe began in 1950, when Bill Bradley, in the chorus of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, borrowed a dressing gown from Chorus member Florence Baum and sent it to a friend in CALL ME MADAM on opening night Oct 12, 1950 saying it was worn by all the Ziegfeld beauties and would "bless" the show. A cabbage rose from Ethel Merman's gown was added and the robe was passed along to next Broadway musical on opening night. The tradition evolved so that the robe is now presented to the "gypsy" who has performed the most Broadway musicals on a chorus contract. Along the way, the robe is decorated, painted, patched, stitched, and signed by everyone in the show, becoming a fanciful patchwork for an entire Broadway season.

The completely original new musical comedy Something Rotten!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell, opened last night, April 22 at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) on Broadway. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the after party below!

From the co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Avenue Q comes something original... something fresh... Something Rotten!, a world-premiere musical comedy about the musical comedy that started it all. Welcome to the '90s - the 1590s - long before the dawn of premium tickets, star casting and reminders to turn off your cell phones. Brothers Nick (d'Arcy James) and Nigel Bottom (Cariani) are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rockstar known as "The Bard" (Borle). 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.

With its heart on its ruffled sleeve and sequins in its soul, Something Rotten! is an uproarious dose of pure Broadway fun and an irresistible ode to musicals - those dazzling creations that entertain us, inspire us, and remind us that everything's better with an exclamation point!

Something Rotten! stars Tony Award nominee Brian d'Arcy James (Shrek), Tony Award winner Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher), Tony Award nominee John Cariani (Fiddler on the Roof), Heidi Blickenstaff ([title of show]), Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar (The Producers), Kate Reinders(Wicked), Tony Award nominee Brooks Ashmanskas (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me), Peter Bartlett(Cinderella), Gerry Vichi (The Drowsy Chaperone) and MichaelJames Scott (The Book of Mormon).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos