Welcome to the Renaissance

Coal City Theatre Department set to stage spring musical

Courtesy photo
REHEARSALS ARE UNDERWAY for Coal City Theatre Department’s spring musical, Something Rotten, a comedy set in the 1500s with a modern day twist. The stage show will be presented this spring featuring a 30 member cast that includes [front] Griffin Johnson and Zoe Smith, who are joined on stage by fellow cast members that include [seated] Addey Connor, Chloe Peacock, Brecken Johnson and Amelia Fritz. The musical will be presented outdoors April 23-25 and April 30 and May 1-2 at Coal City High School.

By: 
STAFF REPORT

It’s been billed as the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years and it’s “Something Rotten.”

The show brings the Renaissance to life with a bit of modern day Broadway thrown in. After all, it’s a show about the theatre.

The Coal City Theatre Department will present the Tony nominated musical, “Something Rotten,” over two weekends starting April 23.

Set in 1595 in South London, the story centers around the Bottom Brothers—Nick and Nigel—playwrites struggling to find success in the theatre, as they compete with the rock star of the Renaissance, “The Bard” known as William Shakespeare.

The Bottom Brothers, played by Coal City High School seniors Levi Counterman [Nick] and Griffin Johnson [Nigel], are rehearsing with their troupe, on what Nick believes will be their first hit. But, the hit comes when their patron arrives to shut down the show. It appears the Bottom’s and The Bard, played by senior Riley Nevin, are set to present shows by the same name.

In his desire to top Shakespeare, Nick takes his family’s saving and heads out to seek insight from Nostradamus, on what the next big thing in the theatre will be, what audiences will be lining up to see.

When told the most fantastic thing will be musicals, a show where an actor is, “saying his lines and out of nowhere, he just starts singing.”

From there, Nick sets out to write the first musical, “Omelet” and along the way the cast comes to find love, understanding and even a new world.

“Something Rotten” opened on Broadway in 2015 and will take the stage in Coal City April 23-25, April 30 and May 1-2, with all shows at 8 p.m. Tickets for the outdoor, socially distanced production will go on sale later this month.

The cast began individual vocal rehearsals in early February and moved in choreography and blocking rehearsals a few weeks later.

Through the process, the cast was surprised with a guest appearance by Heidi Blickenstaff the show’s original Bea Bottom Zoomed in from her home in New York City for question and answer session with the cast.

The musical is being produced and directed by Jack Micetich, the school district’s theatre director, with assistance from a six member creative team.
Along with Counterman, Johnson and Nevin, the “Something Rotten” cast is comprised of Madison Holcomb, Bea Bottom; Zoe Smith, Portia; DeKotah Rueger, Brother Jeremiah; Caden Hennessy, Nostradamus; Aidan Kostbade, Minstrel; Eli Fritz, Lord Clapham, and Jared Counterman, Shylock.

Also, Stephen Byers, Francis Flute; Dylan Ludes, Tom Snout; Derek Carlson, Peter Quince; Luke Van Duyne, Robin; Caleb Kuhel, Snug; Addey Connor, Miranda; Chloe Peacock, Rosalinda, and Izzy Kostbade, Helena.

Members of the ensemble are: McKenna Patten, Ava Houston, Logan Hawkins, Brecken Johnson, Collin Dames, Amelia Fritz, Ethan Scrogham, Chessa Kuhel, Kilen Davidson, Megan Thayer, Courtney Meyer and Elaina Patten.