LANCASTER, Pa. — When a local soothsayer foretells the future of the theatre with a crazy idea called a "musical," brothers Nigel and Nick Bottom set out to beat Shakespeare at his own game.
"I have a whole song in the show called 'God I hate Shakespeare,' which probably echoes the sentiment of every high school student everywhere," Bryant Martin, the actor portraying Nick Bottom, said.
Cast members say the show, for some, echoes the humor of Mel Brooks or Monty Python, poking fun at everyone and everything it can.
"It captures everything I love about musical theatre," Lucy Godinez, who portrays Bea, said. "It's goofy, it's irreverent but it also has a lot of heart."
Following along the journey for Nick and Nigel, audience members witness not only the comedy and humor, but enjoy the ride fully.
"There's a lot of vocal gymnastics for me and a lot of literal gymnastics for everybody else," Martin said.
And cast members say, a little something for everybody.
"It's really easy to leave a show like this feeling like you got a good reset for your brain or for your heart," Godinez said.
"It's a ton of fun," Carolyn Anne Miller, who plays Portia, said. "I mean, if you just wanna have a funny night, if you know any Shakespeare references, or musical references, there are little Easter eggs throughout the entire show which is really fun. And if you don't know any, then you learn some along the way, and it's just a good fun night at the theater. A lot of laughing."
Performances of Something Rotten at the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster run through Oct. 8. For more information, visit the Fulton's website.