SOMETHING ROTTEN Rolls Into Starlight 7/25-30

The completely original new musical Something Rotten! brings its rib-tickling North American tour to Starlight Theatre for six performances July 25-30.

A love letter to theatre-goers, this hilarious new Broadway hit is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony nominee Karey Kirkpatrick, and a book by Tony nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell.

Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Something Rotten! makes its Kansas City premiere with three principal cast members direct from Broadway: Rob McClure as Nick Bottom, Adam Pascal as Shakespeare and Josh Grisetti as Nigel Bottom. The touring cast also features Maggie Lakis as Bea, Blake Hammond as Nostradamus, Autumn Hurlbert as Portia, Scott Cote as Brother Jeremiah and Jeff Brooks as Shylock.

From the director of Aladdin and co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Rent, Avenue Q and In The Heights, the irreverent Something Rotten! tells the story of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, two playwrights stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star Will Shakespeare. When a soothsayer foretells the next big thing in theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, the Bottom brothers set out to write the world's very first MUSICAL!

With its heart on its ruffled sleeve and sequins in its soul, Something Rotten! is an uproarious dose of pure Broadway fun and an irresistible ode to musicals - those dazzling creations that entertain us, inspire us, and remind us that everything's better with an exclamation point!

"Something Rotten! says fun from the very start, and, as the show progresses, it only gets livelier," said Rich Baker, Starlight President and CEO. "The plot is smart; it offers something for everyone, and I think it's just what audiences need right now. I invite Kansas Citians to come to Starlight, check their worries at the door and get ready to laugh for 2½ hours straight!"

The show's award-winning design team of Broadway veterans includes Scott Pask (scenic design), Gregg Barnes (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Josh Marquette (hair design), Phil Reno (music direction/conductor), Glen Kelly (arrangements), Larry Hochman (orchestrations) and Steve Bebout (associate director).

Something Rotten! is the fifth show of Starlight's 67th Broadway season and the second of three brand-new musicals that will take the Starlight stage this summer.

Tickets for Something Rotten! at Starlight Theatre are on sale now for $14 to $152. Tickets are available online at www.kcstarlight.com, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or at the Starlight box office at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

Discount prices for groups of 10 or more are available. For information about group pricing, contact group sales coordinator Camille Sumrall at 816.997.1137 or groups@kcstarlight.com.

For more information about the show, visit http://www.rottenbroadway.com.

About Starlight Theatre
Starlight Theatre, a recent winner of the Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), is the largest and oldest performing arts organization in Kansas City and the second-largest outdoor producing theatre in the country. Opened as a theater in 1950 and as a not-for-profit organization in 1951, Starlight presents and produces Broadway musicals and concerts. It also offers extensive community outreach and educational programming, including classes, scholarships and Starlight's Blue Star Awards, one of the largest high school musical theatre award programs in the nation.

Located on 16 acres in Swope Park, Starlight's venue includes rehearsal halls, gift store, club area for dining, concessions, gardens, fountains and a 10-story, climate-controlled stage.

For more information, visit www.kcstarlight.com.