EPHRATA, Pa. — Welcome to the Renaissance! Known for its laugh-out-loud comedy with references to many legendary musicals, Something Rotten! follows the tale of Nick and Nigel Bottom as they try to write the next big hit during the Renaissance, competing directly against William Shakespeare himself.
This is the first time in our area that the Tony Award-winning musical has been produced on the community stage.
But, as all things with musical theatre right now, it's also simply a gift to be back on stage.
"It's pretty incredible," Nick Smith said, who plays Nigel Bottom in the show. "To be doing this show with so many friends, who we consider family, that we haven't seen in so long. It's an awesome experience."
The cast says, if you love Shakespeare and musicals, you'll love their show. If you hate Shakespeare and musicals, you'll still love the show.
"There's just a lot of laughs," Smith said. "It's going to be a great time."
Something Rotten at it's core makes fun of the absurdity that a musical is: making fun of shows from Annie and Rent to the genre as a whole.
"It's nice to play off these strong comedic actors and bring the best out of everyone," Asher Johnson, who plays Nick Bottom, said.
You can visit the Renaissance in Something Rotten at Ephrata Performing Arts Center through October 23rd.
And if you want to visit Shakespeare in a more traditional way, stop by Gamut Theatre in Harrisburg for A Midsummer Night's Dream Oct 8th through the 17th.
Spongebob: The Musical also debuts later this month with Theatre Harrisburg producing the show at the Whitaker Center.
And you can still catch last week's Center Stage story with Prima Theatre and their production of Soon: The Musical through October 23rd.