Photos by Luis Escobar
It’s 1595 and Shakespeare’s Richard II is about to open in London.
That’s bad news for the steadfast Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, whose troupe was about to open their own version of the monarch’s tale—now doomed because of the Bard’s preeminence in Elizabethan England’s theatrical scene.
Pushed to come up with a new play, and soon, Nick consults a soothsayer whose imperfect visions predict the next big thing in show business: the musical!
What happens next is such stuff as dreams are made on—or in this case fodder for some hilarious hijinks mixing Shakespearean wordsmithing with Broadway high camp. And no modern theatrical troupe could take on that challenge and succeed better than PCPA.
Something Rotten!, playing at Solvang Festival Theater through August 23, is a hoot. Whether you recognize every one of the musical’s references to Shakespeare’s work (of which there are many) or you don’t know iambic pentameter from haiku, you will absolutely appreciate the perfection of this production’s execution on every level.
In between the Elizabethan fanfare that introduces the opening number “Welcome to the Renaissance,” and Nick’s nod to the New World as “the land of opportunity” at the final curtain, is two-and-a-half hours of brightness and buffoonery.
It doesn’t hurt that the company—variously attired in feathered caps, neck ruffs and impressive codpieces—breaks into what amounts to a rock musical within the first 10 minutes of the show. And Shakespeare as the 16th century’s equivalent of Elvis (or maybe Adam Lambert?) singing his signature song “Will Power” croons lyrics like “I am the Will with the skill to thrill you with my quill.”
The main players are the cream of PCPA’s crop. Resident artists Cordell Cole (Nick), Alexander Pimental (Nigel), George Walker (Shakespeare), Molly Dobbs (Portia), Erik Stein (Nostradamus), and Andrew Philpott (Brother Jeremiah) along with associate artistic director Emily Trask (Bea) unabashedly play to the house both expertly and gleefully. Directors Roger DeLaurier and Keenon Hooks have wisely given all of them permission to ham it up, and given all of us the gift of thoroughly enjoying their largesse.
Musical direction by Paul Marszalkowski gives several of the cast members opportunities to show off their stuff, particularly Walker as the self-centered rockstar (“It’s Hard to Be the Bard”) and Trask and Dobbs as women ahead of their male-dominated time.
The eclectic choreography by Hooks, along with ingenious costuming by Thomas J Bernard, contribute mightily to the production’s connection between Shakespeare’s era and Sondheim’s.
Tap-dancing grim reapers, a chorus line of players displaying their hand-drawn headshots, and a Puritan’s coat of rainbow colors are just some of the incongruous but incomparable moments you really should experience for yourself.
The outdoor experience of the Festival Theater, while bracing due to the chilly evening air, offers a pleasant time for the adventurous willing to bundle up a bit. Your heart if not your hands will be warmed by the exuberance and freshness of Something Rotten!.