This hilarious take on Shakespeare and the Renaissance, scheduled twice during the shutdown, will be directed and choreographed by PTC’s Artistic Director Karen Azenberg.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT— PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY (PTC) presents SOMETHING ROTTEN! February 25 – March 12, 2022. Something Rotten! was originally scheduled for production in the spring of 2020, and was interrupted by the pandemic. It was then scheduled for the spring of 2021, and again was postponed.
“I have been eager to bring this crowd-pleaser to our audience for a long time, but the pandemic kept getting in the way,” said PTC Artistic Director KAREN AZENBERG who will direct and choreograph this production. “The humor, the inside jokes directed to fans of musical theatre, and the entertaining story makes this the kind of show our audiences enjoy getting lost in. Especially after the kind of year we all had!”
This irresistible musical farce was nominated for nine Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Score, and Book. The New York Times called it “An over-the-top take on Shakespeare.”
AZENBERG directs and choreographs this production. In addition to being PTC’s Artistic Director for the last ten years, Azenberg has directed PTC productions of Alabama Story, “i,” Sting’s The Last Ship, Les Misérables, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Newsies, Sweet Charity, The Play That Goes Wrong, and more. She is also slated to direct the closing musical production of Hello, Dolly!. Azenberg is joined by frequent PTC contributor LENNY DANIEL as Associate Director, and by Associate Choreographer BRANDON BIEBER. Daniel was in the Broadway cast of Cats, and has appeared in multiple PTC productions such as Sting’s The Last Ship, A Christmas Carol: The Musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Sweet Charity. He assisted direction and choreography in Newsies and The Music Man. Bieber’s credits include the Broadway productions of Follies, Side Show, Anything Goes, and Mary Poppins, as well as the National Tours of Something Rotten! and Mary Poppins.
DANIEL PLIMPTON and MATT FARCHER lead the cast as brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, who are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that era’s “rock star,” Shakespeare. So instead they set out to write the world’s very first musical. Plimpton’s credits include PTC’s 2019 regional premiere of Cagney and the National Tours of Book of Mormon and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Farcher returns to PTC after having appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and stirring audiences as The Count in Frank Wildhorn’s The Count of Monte Cristo (2016). He was also in the original Broadway cast of Pretty Woman: The Musical.
Playing the over-the-top character of Shakespeare, or “The Bard” as he is known, is MATTHEW HYDZIK. He returns to PTC after lead roles in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the concert production of Chess. He also appeared on Broadway in The Cher Show, It Shoulda Been You, Side Show, West Side Story, and Grease.
GALYANA CASTILLO plays Nick’s wife Bea, who loves Nick despite his past lack of success. Castillo returns to PTC after appearing as Asaka in Once On This Island and 2019’s La Cage aux Folles. LEXI RABADI is making her PTC debut as Portia, a Puritan woman who loves poetry, theater, and ultimately, Nigel. Regional credits include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and A Christmas Carol.
ROBERT ANTHONY JONES plays the soothsayer Nostradamus, who sees into the future of musical theater, and KEVIN B. MCGLYNN as Brother Jeremiah, a Puritan who thinks Nick and Nigel’s plays are sinful. Jones last appeared in PTC’s production of Cagney, and in earlier productions of The Music Man and A Christmas Carol: The Musical. He enjoyed his Broadway debut in Finding Neverland. Regionally, McGlynn has appeared in A Christmas Carol, Les Misérables, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Titanic (the musical), as well as Broadway Tours of Kiss Me, Kate and All Shook Up.
Ensemble Equity members include JESSICA BLAIR, MARJORIE FAILONI, DAN BOB HIGGINS, HOWARD KAYE, T.J. NEWTON, and JP QUALTERS.
The rest of the cast includes T ANTHONY, IZZY ARRIETA, REBA JOHNSON, HANNAH KEATING, MICKI MARTINEZ, KEELEY ANNE MCCORMICK, RYAN REYES, PETER SURACE, and CADEN TUDOR.
HELEN GREGORY is the show’s musical director. Gregory has returned as musical director for 11 productions at PTC, including Grease, The Rocky Horror Show, Fiddler on the Roof, Mamma Mia!, Rent, and In the Heights.
Resident Scenic Designer GEORGE MAXWELL has designed over 50 productions for the company, as well as many designs at Utah Shakespeare Festival. His prior PTC designs include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Next to Normal, Newsies, and Les Misérables.
Returning Costume Designer PATRICK HOLT designs for this production. Holt is a professor at the University of Arizona. He previously designed PTC’s Grease, Will Rogers Follies, Sweet Charity, and La Cage aux Folles. His film and TV work includes HBO, CBS, and World of Wonder Productions.
Lighting design is by MICHAEL GILLIAM. He’s designed over 15 productions at PTC including Sting’s The Last Ship, Fiddler on the Roof, and most recently, The Lifespan of a Fact. His credits include Broadway productions such as Big River, Bonnie and Clyde, and Brooklyn, among others.
Sound Designer AARON HUBBARD and Hair and Make-up Designer SAMANTHA WOOTTEN who are both resident to PTC also design for this production.
MEDIA PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD: High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, February 16, 2022 after 12 noon.
Go directly to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/press-room/media-photos/ to view.
INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast and artistic staff are available. Call 801-581-7222 to arrange.
Pioneer Theatre Company
Something Rotten!
February 25 – March 12, 2022
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City
Students K-12 are half-price Monday-Thursday.
Open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon. – Fri.
https://pioneertheatre.org/season/2021-2022-season/something-rotten-2
CADEN TUDOR…………………………………Ensemble
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
