Previews: SOMETHING ROTTEN! by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet at Palm Canyon Theatre, February 9-25, 2024

In this mash-up of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty-first-century Broadway, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of the master playwright known as “The Bard.” When a soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves acting, singing, AND dancing, the brothers set out to write the world’s first musical, and Something Rotten! unfolds.

Palm Canyon Theatre’s production of this zany musical features 30 talented local performers ranging in age from 13 to 70, including Eric Stein-Steele as Shakespeare himself, Ben Reece and Keith Alexander as The Bottom Brothers, Raul Valenzuela as Nostradamus, and many others. The hilarious songs and dynamic dance numbers would compel anyone to want to be in a musical!

Something Rotten! is a musical comedy directed and choreographed by Se Layne, costumed and stage managed by Derik Shopinski, with music direction by Chuck Peery. Lighting design is by J.W. Layne with projections by Nick Edwards. 

The book is written by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, with music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick. The musical opened on Broadway in 2015 and ran for two years with 742 performances. Something Rotten! was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, before launching a US National tour from 2017-2019 and running internationally from 2019-2024.

Something Rotten! runs at Palm Canyon Theatre February 9-25. Show times are 7 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $38 for adults; $34 for seniors; $17 for students. Group discounts are available.

For tickets, sponsorship opportunities, or other information, call the PCT box office at 760-323-5123 or order online at palmcanyontheatre.org. Palm Canyon Theatre is located at 538 North Palm Canyon Drive, at the corner of Alejo Road and Palm Canyon Drive. Box office hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Something Rotten! is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

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