Photos: First Look at Farmington Players' SOMETHING ROTTEN

Come along on a rollicking romp that will thrill Shakespeare lovers and musical aficionados alike!  The Farmington Players Barn concludes its 70th anniversary season by presenting the hilarious Broadway musical comedy “Something Rotten!”  The play opens Friday April 26th and runs through Saturday May 18th in Farmington Hills. TruVista Wealth Advisors is sponsoring the show. Tickets are now available online at the button below or by calling the box office at 248-553-2955.

Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of their nemesis, that Renaissance rock star William Shakespeare, a/k/a “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.

Director Tim Timmer knows that audiences will love Something Rotten!: “This show has everything you want to see in a musical, and the singing and dancing are top notch.  We have 28 people on this stage that have put so much of their time and energy into this show.  Where else can you see a show that imaginatively explores the intersection of Elizabethan drama and modern musicals, while teaching lessons about overcoming obstacles and achieving true collaboration and friendship.”

One of the show’s featured musical numbers is named, aptly enough, “A Musical.”  At nearly eight minutes long, it is a show-stopping, heart-pounding, song-and-dance number complete with tappers and chorus line kicks.  Musical theater lovers will especially enjoy the twenty – yes, 20! – references to Broadway favorites ranging from “Annie” to “Sunday in the Park With George.”

Something Rotten! opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on April 22, 2015, where it played for 708 performances. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won one (Christian Borle as Best Featured Actor in a Musical). 

SHOW DATES AND TIMES

Friday, April 26  at 8pm

Saturday, April 27 at 8pm 

Sunday, April 28 at 2pm

Friday, May 3 at 8pm

Saturday, May 4  at 8pm

Sunday, May  5  at 2pm

Friday, May 10  at 8pm

Saturday, May 11  at 8pm

Sunday, May 12  at 2pm

Thursday, May 16 at 8pm

Friday, May 17  at 8pm

Saturday, May 18 at 8pm   

TICKETS

Tickets are $27 for adults and $25 for seniors and students.

Reserved seats are available at both www.farmingtonplayers.org and the box office at 248-553-2955.   You can also send an email to boxoffice@farmingtonplayers.org  

Something Rotten! is sponsored by TruVista Wealth Advisors, a financial advisory practice at Ameriprise Financial.  

LOCATION

The Farmington Players Barn Theater is located at 32332 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills Michigan 48334. It’s the big white barn on the north side of 12 mile between Orchard Lake and Farmington Rd.

CAST 

(ACTOR, CHARACTER, HOMETOWN)

Keith Firstenberg,  Nick Bottom,  Livonia

Josh Carter,  Nigel Bottom, Detroit

Hannah Haigh,  Bea Bottom,  Ypsilanti

Helena Romano,  Portia,  Wyandotte

Jonah Schulte,  William Shakespeare,   Farmington Hills

Jared Hoffert,  Nostradamus,  Ann Arbor

Jim Snideman,  Brother Jeremiah,  Commerce Twp.

Gary Weinstein  Shylock  Farmington Hills

Tony Targan, Lord Clapham/Lord Falstaff, Bloomfield Hills 

Keith Rikli, The Minstrel,  Belleville

ENSEMBLE:

Jayar Brenner Grosse Pointe

Kristen Chapman Redford

Julia Cody Waterford

Anne Craft Wayne

Becky Fisher Birmingham

Leah Frazier Wixom

Eric Henrickson Royal Oak

Kristen Carter Japowicz Westland

Ashley Murdock West Bloomfield

Michelle Noble Walled Lake

Eric Nogas Farmington

Brianna Patricka Filion

Stefan Potter Farmington Hills

Tom Regan Royal Oak

Amanda Ruth West Bloomfield

Renée Valant Livonia

Joel Watson Westland

Donna Wolbers South Lyon

Crew (Name, Position, Hometown)

 Tim Timmer, Director, Wayne

 Rose Randall Warner, Assistant Director, Southfield

 Jim & Mary Winkler, Producers, Farmington Hills

 Maureen Mansfield, Stage Manager, Farmington Hills

 Steven C. Woznicki, Music Director, Royal Oak

 Mary Murphy, Choreographer, Oak Park

ABOUT THE FARMINGTON PLAYERS:

You can find the Farmington Players at www.farmingtonplayers.org and also on Facebook (The Farmington Players Barn Theater).  The Barn began as an offshoot of the American Association of University Women. The first production, The Torchbearers, was performed at a local church. After performing in various city and educational locations, the Farmington Players moved into an old dairy barn located on the site of their present facility on West Twelve Mile Road.

Initially, productions were staged downstairs on a dirt floor. Over the years, improvements to the original Barn transformed it into a more finished space, with the theater itself eventually moving upstairs into a traditional and finished setting.

Since 1953, the Farmington Players have staged more than 200 different musicals, dramas, mysteries and comedies, all as a community theater with 100% volunteer membership.

We at the Farmington Players continue to invest in the Barn to enhance our patrons’ theatrical experience and focus on bringing high quality theatrical productions to this community in a space that is both comfortable and welcoming to our patrons and membership. Over the last decade we invested in improved rigging, lighting and sound systems, a new stage floor complete with hydraulics for a trap door, and improved our lobby restrooms. In 2016, we received a matching grant which facilitated a new digital sign to advertise our upcoming events and opportunities. During the lockdown we completely refreshed our lobby with fresh paint, improved lighting and enhanced fan ventilation. Finally, we put up new show pictures for your enjoyment along with updating our green room.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Paul Manoian Photography

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