Something Rotten

 Eric had a lead role in a play in St. George. It's a musical called "Something Rotten" and it is HILARIOUS!  Yes, the language is a bit colorful and even Eric said it's maybe a PG - 13 rating, but we smiled through the entire thing. And laughed. And enjoyed the many funny, funny entertaining things that went on on that stage.  It was done by the Stage Door Production company in the Electric Theater on Tabernacle street in St. George Utah.  Mike and I saw it on  Thursday, Sept. 2. I was so glad they were willing to trade my tickets since I had already purchased tickets to see it in August, but ended up sick and unable to attend on that night in August.

Oh, we're so glad we didn't miss that wonderful performance. The music and actors were outstanding. The music was so fun, the actors and dancers were so good. Eric even learned to tap dance for this production, and he did a pretty darn good job, too.

So, so good. So fun. So sorry that Nick and Kaylee didn't get to come and watch as they ended up with sick kiddos this weekend that they were supposed to come. It closed on Saturday, September 4 and we were to tend all 4 of their kids so they could go see Eric in it. Oh well.

But Gail came!  I was surprised when I got home from ushering at Shakespeare on Friday night that Gail had driven here from Spring Creek to see Eric. She got tickets for the Saturday Matinee and she, too, thought it was wonderful.

Paul Nickels wrote this review on September 3 that I am borrowing from Eric's Facebook page. It speaks volumes and is so cleverly written: 

ANOTHER NIGHT ANOTHER SHOW! I am still laughing. Something Rotten at the Electric Theater is one of those new musicals (2015 on Broadway) that manages to make fun out of – well, everything! Even the title cleverly suggests a connection between "fowl" play and the English language as honed by the beloved William Shakespeare – which is the inspiration that drives the show. Set in 1590’s Elizabethan England, Nick and Nigel Bottom are two hapless brothers struggling to write a hit play that will compete with Shakespeare’s. Turning to a sooth-sayer who can only see half sooths, Nick employs his brother’s poetic skills to invent a new kind of play that will knock Will off his pedestal. This misguided mystic introduces him to the musical of the future, and Nick and Nigel set out to create one. The players manage to lampoon every musical you’ve ever heard of, while setting up scenes that become material for some of Shakespeare’s best-known inspirations. The show is a mind-blowing mix of historical implausibility and hysterical possibility. The production is a mind-blowing presentation of stagecraft, costuming and choreography with first-rate leads and ensemble work that make The Stage Door a first-rate venue for entertainment.

Tristan Griffin’s incredible stage design uses the full depth of available space, AND height, by opening to a village street lined on each side with Tudor houses; using hinged walls, the space converts into a rehearsal room, a banquet house, even an outdoor stage. Full use of space to the sides and front of the apron adds depth to the performance area.

Eric M. Liebhardt leads as the unstoppable Nick, Tyler Price as the incredibly creative Nigel. Heather Oram and Morgan Pfunder dazzle in the female leads. Aaron Naylor nails another perfect role as a Renaissance rock star, “The Bard.” Great supporting characters are created by Patrick Magill, Josh Scott, Clif Oram and Ryland Despain. I am sorry to not go into detail on each one, but this show is so packed with creative successes, that to mention one is to connect with ten more. The Ensemble is ideal for this show; navigating costume changes alone should earn them all Tonys.

I went knowing nothing of the show except that some of my favorite people were doing it. My first hint of what would dominate came during the massive ensemble opener, “Welcome to the Renaissance.” I felt like I was reliving High School Musical in an amazing recreation of the Elizabethan era. To the theatrically alert: you will find references to everything in the world of theater, and deliberate homage to at least twenty modern musicals! The lyrics and dialog fly by in comic patter. References to Shakespeare are, of course, everywhere, and the book manages to indulge in crude word play, punnery, innuendo and forgivably flagrant violations of social propriety while concluding with a perfectly moral message. “Colorful” language forgiven, it’s a show that invites everyone who can laugh to come and be entertained. If you liked “Where’s Waldo”, you’ll have a ball finding all the Broadway bits, while testing yourself on Shakespeare trivia.

It’s a good story, and a welcome addition to the repertoire. Everyone winds up in their proper place in the Bard-iverse . And that’s SOMETHING!