If you thought Elizabethan England was all plagues, ruffs and moody Danish princes, “Something Rotten!” is here to set your ruffled collar straight.
The Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts kicks off its 2025 summer repertory season with a musical so joyously unhinged it makes “Spamalot” look like a history documentary.
Opening Friday, May 30, this deliriously funny Broadway hit hurls us back to the 1590s, where the Bottom brothers (Nick and Nigel) are struggling playwrights stuck in the shadow of a guy named Shakespeare. Correct, that Shakespeare, whose ego is matched only by his rhyming couplets. Desperate for a hit, the Bottoms consult a soothsayer named Nostradamus (nephew of that Nostradamus) who peers into the future and sees musical theater. Song.Dance. Omelettes.
Yes, omelettes.
What follows is a madcap scramble through showbiz tropes, Shakespearean jabs and musical theater in-jokes, performed with such gusto and glee that even the Bard himself might drop his quill and start tap-dancing. Imagine “Rent” by way of “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” with a chorus line.
Directed by Dennis Elkins and choreographed by Pia Wyatt, this production features a crackerjack cast of national talent, plus local talents Hannah Rockensock and Leela Simpson.
There’s no need to brush up on your Broadway knowledge or dust off your “Complete Works.”
“Something Rotten!” is the kind of show that rewards the theater nerd and welcomes the theater newbie. The original Broadway production earned 10 Tony nominations and snagged a few statues along the way. But, awards aside, this is a show that lives to entertain. It sings. It struts. It scrambles. And it might just be the funniest thing you’ll see all summer.
Performances run May 30 through Aug. 30. Tickets are on sale now at www.pagosacenter.org or by calling 970-731-SHOW (7469).
