This show is, beyond the shadow-of-a-doubt, a truly silly piece of theatre. A musical comedy in the style of its predecessors of the early 20th century; Something Rotten makes no apologies for its ludicrous central concept nor its self-aware references and wickedly pointed jokes at itself and the musical theatre art form in general.
It is for these reasons and many more that I think it an excellent exploration of theatre for high school students. Stylistically, it demands a level of heightened commitment of performance from its entire cast - everyone must be enthusiastically "bought in" to the absurd world of the show, or nothing about it will work. This is not always an easy thing for young performers to bring to life, and I couldn't be prouder of how hard this cast has worked to fully invest themselves in their work on this show.
Yet, for all its irreverance for itself and its clever, pseudo-innocent ribald jokes, this show does make more than a few pointed observations about the human condition.
Who among us hasn't ever felt backed into a corner by circumstance, and felt that the only way out of it was to do something we knew (deep down) was stupid and objectively wrong? For the rare human who hasn't, we can easily identify with Nick.
For those of us with a love of language and/or music, how easy is it for us to remember those first words or notes which burned themselves into our hearts and minds with the intensity of a blast of sunlight? We can identify with Nigel and Portia.
And for those of us who are married, or are in committed relationships, or who have children, how important it is to be reminded that the best domestic partnerships require trust, mutual respect, self-respect, and communication.
I wanted to do a show that I thought would challenge the students of Lake Braddock Theatre in ways that perhaps they haven't lately been able to be challenged. Tap dancing, singing eggs seemed like a good fit.
Moreover though, this show is about a love of the theatre. Musical theatre, yes, but theatre in general. Its power to reveal truths about people, its power to bring people together, and its power to entertain. There's nothing wrong with some good ol' fashioned entertainment every once in a while that reminds people that things in life can sometimes be fun, even when they're challenging.
Thank you for coming, and we hope you enjoy the show!
John Tourtellotte
Director
