“Something’s not sitting right with him,” I whispered to my husband, as I—with no expertise whatsoever—tried to read director Richard Waterhouse’s body language. The intricately choreographed musical number he was watching finished, and he bent down to address the pianist. “Too fast,” he announced. Another run through, slower this time. I do so love a rehearsal, where you get to witness numerous decisions, changes, change backs, speeding up or slowing down, reblocking of the action, all of the big choices and the minutiae that sculpt the final production.
We The People Theatre are at work rehearsing Something Rotten!, an 8-time Tony-nominated musical scheduled to open on April 5 at the Briggs Opera House. On the Sunday after last week’s major snowstorm, a few dozen of the cast and crew managed to make their way to the Richmond School, where the stage was taped to mimic the actual performance space in the Briggs. Looking relaxed in their sweatshirts and UV-casual clothing (not yet a dress rehearsal), they nevertheless started from the top and proceeded with gusto. It was a spirited and talent-filled performance, and very funny. Tickets for the production are on sale now.
Something Rotten! is a hilarious mash-up of 16th Century Shakespeare and 21st Century Broadway. It tells the story of the creation of the world's first musical. It's bawdy, boisterous and brilliant. And that's just the opening number.
Get ready for Beata Randall as a singing Nostradamus. She’s been onstage with We The People since its first production, 1776, in which she “played the janitor whose actions were limited to opening and closing the windows at the whim of the ‘founding fathers’ who could not decide which was worse: the stuffy air or the black flies.” Her favorite role thus far with WTP was playing the waitress in Working, a musical based on the Studs Terkel book of the same name. What brought her to Something Rotten?
“When I heard that Perry [Allison] and Richard were going to do “Something Rotten!”I knew I would try out. While the production level at We the People is high, Richard is so much fun to work with; he has the ability to make an individual feel supported as well as challenged. I feel very lucky to be working with him.”
Want to know more about the play and/or brush up on your Shakespeare? We The People have provided an Education Guide (click here) that will breeze you through the storyline and tell you a few details about Renaissance England, where jousting was a popular pastime, the flush toilet had just been invented, and William Shakespeare was the hottest pop icon.
Something Rotten! will run from April 5 through April 21, Fridays through Sundays.
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.