Welcome to the Renaissance as The Brandywiners presents the outrageous, crowd-pleasing musical farce Something Rotten! Two brothers set out to write the world’s first musical in this hilarious mash-up of 16th century Shakespeare and 21st century Broadway.
Created by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick and screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Something Rotten! garnered 10 Tony nominations. It was lauded by audience and critics alike as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years.”
About Something Rotten!
Nick and Nigel Bottom, two struggling playwrights in Renaissance London, need a hit. As the brothers and their acting troupe rehearse their latest work, Richard II, the Bottoms’ patron, Lady Clapham, arrives to announce that William Shakespeare has also written a new play. The title: Richard II. Clapham issues an ultimatum: if the Bottom brothers don’t deliver her a hit play “on the morrow,” their working relationship will come to an end. When Nick’s wife, Bea, is forced to find work, Nick takes their meager savings to Soothsayer Alley. There he finds Thomas Nostradamus, nephew of the famous soothsayer, who gazes into the future and foresees a new entertainment phenomenon: The Musical, a play where actors suddenly burst into song. Nick has his million-pound idea! The Bottom brothers begin work on a musical about the Black Death, but when Shakespeare gets wind of their idea, he steals Nigel’s notebook. Desperate for revenge, Nick pays Thomas for one more prediction: the name and plot of the greatest play Shakespeare will ever write. Thomas answers, “Omelette,” setting the stage for the Bottom brothers’ own masterpiece: Omelette, The Musical.
Something Rotten! made its Broadway debut on April 22, 2015. A rollicking song-and-dance extravaganza, it was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
About The Brandywiners
The Brandywiners Ltd is a 501(c)(3) not for profit ARTS organization established in 1932. The Brandywiners provides community entertainment through its 60+-person chorale and annual theatrical productions. The Chorale’s concerts are a favorite among many retirement communities and churches in the area. Brandywiners have entertained at holiday and retirement parties at the Wilmington Country Club, the DuPont Country Club, the Newark Country Club, Delaware Art Museum, Hagley Soda House, Winterthur Museum and Garden, and the Chase Center on the Riverfront. The Chorale joined the Delaware Symphony for a pops concert at the Grand Opera House and has performed at Longwood Gardens during their A Longwood Christmas season and the Smyrna Opera House. The Brandywiners partners with Longwood Gardens to present a Broadway quality musical annually in its Open Air Theatre. In addition, selections from their show are performed at places such as Bellevue Park, Rockwood Park, and community centers throughout Delaware. 2025 represents The Brandywiners Ltd 93rd anniversary.