‘Something Rotten!’ to mix Shakespeare, modern musicals on Engle Lane stage in Streator

Set in the 1590s, the Bottom Brothers find out music, dance and drama are the recipe for the future.

The audience for Engle Lane Theatre’s next performance, “Something Rotten!,” will see all three intertwine in a musical spoof with plenty of references to William Shakespeare and Broadway, respectively – including appearances from The Bard, who plays a prominent role in the show.

The musical comedy is set to take the Streator stage 2 p.m. Sunday, July 9; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, through Friday, July 14; and 2 p.m. Saturday, July 15.

Director Reid Tomasson said the show is like directing 10 shows at once, because of the number of eclectic influences within the performance.

“There are Shakespearean references and then dance numbers from ‘Chicago,’” said Tomasson, citing examples. “I get to dip my toe into the water of a lot of different works.”

The Bottom Brothers are played by Kevin J. Alleman, of Granville, as Nick Bottom, and Griffin Tabor, of Oglesby, as Nigel Bottom. The duo played starring roles in Engle Lane’s recent musical “Catch Me If You Can.”

In “Something Rotten!,” Nick is concerned about paying the bills and Nigel is the hopeless romantic. Alleman said the his character is based on a character of the same from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In that play, the character’s head turns into a donkey’s head.

“I like my character a lot,” Alleman said. “He could so easily be seen as a jerk, but he is a very caring person. The reason he is the way he is, is because he cares about everything.”

Tabor’s character Nigel Bottom is inspired by elegance and beauty, and he has to learn to take his appreciation and talent to the next level.

“He’s a really easy character to connect with,” Tabor said.

The duo is desperate to write a hit play, at a time when The Bard is at rock star status, and they visit a local soothsayer that foretells the future of theater, giving them a leg up and an opportunity to kick the show into another gear.

Lovers of Shakespeare’s works and theater goers will find plenty of references across the board as the period piece is able to jump from the Renaissance to the 1990s. There’s even a reference to Yoko Ono.

“Shakespeare is played as more of a Mic Jagger,” Tomasson said.

That role is taken on by Jeff Sudakov, of Princeton.

“My character has sort of reached his peak, he’s enjoying his lifestyle, and he’s sort of looking for shortcuts to his next play,” Sudakov said.

Megan Cullinan, of Peru, plays Bea, Nick Bottom’s wife. Her character is a strong, independent woman at a time when women were not seen as equal to men. Cullinan said she also gets to play Bea’s role as someone else in scenes of the musical, adding to the fun.

“Playing Bea is a lot of fun,” Cullinan said.

“Something Rotten!” received several best musical nominations when it was released in 2015. It is created by songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick and screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell.

Other cast members include Brother Jeremiah played by Ty Eller; Portia by Ashley Hurst; Nostradamus by Tomasson; Minstrel by Mark Fulkerson; Lady Clapham by Jamie Parks.

The ensemble includes Doug Alleman, Forrest Boes, Nicholas Frig, Reid Rynke, Robbie Malerk, Shea Rathburn, Cheyanne Kreush, Cheyanne Nicole Hope Sunken, Hanna Pohar, Jamie Parks, Kylie Atkins and Patricia Fulkerson.

Want to go?

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. They are available online at https://englelane.org/ or through the box office. The box office is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 815-672-3584. The theater is located 1012 Columbus Road, Streator.