About the work
Something Rotten! is a musical by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick (music and lyrics) with a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell, premiered on Broadway in 2015. This exuberant comedy plays with the history of theatre and the invention of the musical.
Plot
In Renaissance England, the playwright brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom struggle desperately to compete in the shadow of the celebrated superstar William Shakespeare. In his distress, Nick consults a soothsayer who prophesies that the future of theatre lies in an entirely new form: the "musical"—a play in which the characters suddenly burst into song and dance mid-dialogue. Nick attempts to write the first musical in history, with hilariously absurd results.
Cultural significance
Something Rotten! is a love letter to the musical itself, peppered with references to dozens of famous Broadway shows. The showstopper A Musical parodies the entire history of the genre in a single number. With anarchic wit, Renaissance slapstick, and insider humour, the work became a favourite of musical fans and exuberantly celebrates the very conventions it mocks.