Ever since Donna Feore saw the original Broadway run of Something Rotten! in 2015 she has been thinking about bringing it to Stratford.
Now, nearly 10 years later, she is getting that chance.
Feore helms this year’s Something Rotten!, which is the first play to begin previews for the Stratford Festival’s 2024 season.
Something Rotten! follows the Bottom brothers, two playwrights in Renaissance London as they struggle to find a hit in the shadow of local rockstar William Shakespeare.
In that shadow they create something that will change the world forever: the musical.
In Feore’s words, it combines two things that the festival does really well, Shakespeare and musicals.
“From the actor's point of view, they have the skills,” Feore said. “I have the dancers that can execute these huge numbers – there's over 14 production numbers in the show – and then we also have an audience that can really appreciate both Shakespeare and musicals.”
Something Rotten! is on the main stage at the Festival Theatre, a space that few know as intimately as Feore.
“I've done every aspect of it,” Feore, who is going into her 28th season at the festival this year, said. “I've assisted on that stage, I've learned from the best of the best directors on that stage from when I was young. My vocation has been that space … it feels like home to me.”
That being said, staging Something Rotten! has been a challenge for Feore, and one of the reasons she was drawn to the work.
“The challenge of course is that there’s no fly floor,” Feore explained. “There’s no walls, there’s no wings, everything’s out in the open so everything has to happen in front of the audience … I love those challenges, ‘how am I going to make this work?’”
“It also keeps me up at night, don’t get me wrong,” Feore laughed.
She has been watching rehearsals from nearly every nook and cranny of the 1850-seat theatre as the play has been developing, in order to see the production from every angle the audience will see it from.
Feore is directing and choreographing, something she often does when directing musicals. She explained that wearing both hats gives her the ability to direct the actors when they are singing and dancing, as well as in the scenes without any singing and dancing – that way the characters are consistent throughout.
Not only is it a big musical, with all the elements that audiences want in a big musical – a great book, great songs, and great production – but it is also a true comedy, with stand up laughs, Feore said.
“If you love musicals, this show is for you. If you don't love musicals, this show is for you. If you love Shakespeare, this show is for you. If you don't love Shakespeare, this show is for you.”
Something Rotten! begins previews today at the Festival Theatre. It opens May 28 and lasts until Oct. 27.
Director’s Notes is an ongoing series from StratfordToday, featuring interviews with Stratford Festival directors; discussing their project, their scope, and their goals for this year’s production.
