LOGAN – The Renaissance is due to return to Cache Valley on Friday, Sept. 13.
That’s when the joint production of the recent musical comedy Something Rotten! by Music Theatre West and the Cache Theatre Company will debut here at the Ellen Eccles Theatre.
With the deep talent pool of those two local theater companies to draw upon, director and choreographer Stephanie White has assembled a gifted cast to bring Something Rotten! to hilarious life.
Something Rotten! is a 2015 rock musical comedy with a book by John O’Farrell and music/lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick.
Set in 1595, the story follows the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, as they struggle to find success in the theatrical world in competition with the wild rock-star popularity of their contemporary William Shakespeare, the dominant dramatist of the Elizabethan era.
In desperation, they create a new theatrical genre – the musical comedy.
The result is kind of the Renaissance equivalent of those old movies when Judy Garland says to Mickey Rooney: “I know! Let’s put on a play in the barn.”
Actor Sam Tuescher has been cast of Nick Bottom. Tuescher is a veteran of previous local productions of School of Rock, Anastasia and Elixer of Love.
Landon Weeks, who appeared previously in a concert version of the southern gothic drama Bright Star, will perform the role of Nick’s brother Nigel.
Local favorite Chris Metz will fill of the role of their nemesis, Shakespeare. He is well-known to local audiences, having performed in CTC productions of School of Rock and The Spongebob Musical as well as The Christmas Story for the Four Seasons Theatre Company in Smithfield.
Stepping into the spotlight again is young Haven Draper, performing the role of Nick’s gender-shattering wife Bea. She is a veteran of a student production of Les Misérables mounted by the Utah Festival Opera Conservatory as well as performing small roles in the The Little Mermaid for CTC and Ragtime for MTW.
Other familiar faces in the cast of Something Rotten! include Brad Noble as Nostradamus, Bennett Floyd as the self-appointed Puritan theater critic Brother Jeremiah and Cary Youmans as Shylock.
In fact, Ms. White’s cast is so overflowing with talent that she could assign the relatively small role of the Psychic Woman to a truly gifted actress like Celeste Baillio, who only recently completed performing in the Four Season Theatre Company’s production of The 39 Steps in Smithfield.
Appearing in the roles of Puritans and townsfolk, other members of the huge cast include Jordanne Burgess, McKenna Finley, Hannah Bast, Micah Coombs, Cameron Gleed, Nathan Jones, Will Bouck, Michael Jensen, Logan O’Donnell, Nathan Campbell, Adrean Gonzales, Blake Muir, Nicole Martineau, Clarissa Mathews, Sarah Bast, Julie Allen, Morgan Nadauld, Sydney Baird, Morgan Horsburgh, Savannah Sherrill, Whitney Metz, Kim Day and Kelly Bateman.
Music direction for Something Rotten! will be provided by Karen Tuescher and production management will be supplied by Sebrina Woodland.
The performance dates for Something Rotten! will be Sept. 13 to 21 at Ellen Eccles Theatre in downtown Logan.
The Ellen Eccles Theatre is located at 43 South Main Street in downtown Logan.