Broadway, bawdy and the Bard

When the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Theatre & Dance decided to stage the musical Something Rotten, there was no way of knowing how chaotic and unsettled the first months of 2025 would feel to so many people. 

Come April, the bawdy, raucous, witty, hilarious sendup of Broadway, Shakespeare may be just the tonic for uncertain times.

“Something Rotten! is just the kind of musical-theatre comedy to provide some escape for audiences who need to laugh right now,” says director Cecilia J. Pang, long-time faculty member who now serves as associate chair for the department.

“The musical appeals to Shakespeare and musical-theatre nerds alike,” says dramaturg James Early. “It’s a musical about musicals, both naughty and funny, and audiences will love its bright, flashy style and sound.”

First produced on Broadway in 2015, Something Rotten! received the Tony Award for Best Musical and ran for 708 performances.

Described by critics as the “smartest and funniest new musical comedy since Book of Mormon” and “Breathlessly funny,” the musical opens when a soothsayer convinces Renaissance playwrights Nick and Nigel Bottom that they’ll finally outshine local rockstar William Shakespeare by pioneering a radical new kind of show featuring singing, dancing and acting — all at the same time!

“Musicals, musicals, musicals and Shakespeare,” Pang says with a laugh. “It’s a humongous show with a cast of 24, at least 10 big, big dance numbers, and costume designer Ted Stark is creating at least 150 costumes for the show. It will be tons of fun for the students, for audiences, and everyone involved.”

And when it comes to naughty, the show enthusiastically revels in its bawdiness.

“Shakespeare wasn’t afraid to make a sex joke,” Pang says. “The writers of Something Rotten! aren’t either. Among the many references to musical theatre and Shakespeare are naughty jokes galore, a drag queen, a gay dad, crossdressing and much more.”

To bolster the bawdy, costumes will emphasize sexuality, gender fluidity, androgyny and diversity and there will be plenty of spicy props.

But for all the fun, the show also illuminates the nexus, contrast and history between two beloved, iconic theater styles: the big, splashy musical and the deeply layered works by a Renaissance master whose work is still produced and celebrated centuries later.

“It’s entertaining and enlightening, and a whole lot of fun,” Pang says.

 CU Boulder Theatre presents “Something Rotten!” in the Roe Green Theatre from April 11 through 20, 2025.