Rob McClure News

Presented by Center Theatre Group, the Los Angeles engagement of Something Rotten! opens Tuesday, November 21 at 8 p.m. at the Ahmanson Theatre. Performances will continue through December 31. Below, BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in action before next week's opening!

Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre presented by the Investors Foundation have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey.

In a rarity that doesn't happen too often here in Southern California, a brand new national tour of a recent hit Broadway musical has arrived first in Orange County in advance of a much longer sit-down engagement in Los Angeles. And, boy, is this one a marvelous gift from the comedy gods! Behold, ladies and gentlemen, the merry awesomeness that is SOMETHING ROTTEN!, the multi-Tony Award nominated musical comedy that kicks off Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2017-2018 Broadway series! A delightful, seemingly non-stop conveyor belt of wit, hilarity, and outrageous high-jinks, this extremely funny 2015 original musical comedy will continue to slay audiences (in a good way) through November 19, 2017 in Costa Mesa.

Casting is set for the Los Angeles engagement of the completely original new musical Something Rotten!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw ( The Book of Mormon, Aladdin ), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE LION KING, SOMETHING ROTTEN and More!

SOMETHING ROTTEN! is spectacular! Pure platinum! The tour is now rocking the house at ASU Gammage through November 5th. From the moment that Nick Rashad Burroughs ignites the house with an electrifying Welcome to the Renaissance, the show is a splendid nonstop concatenation of music (Brian P. Kennedy), choreography (Casey Nicholaw), sets (Scott Pask), and wardrobe (Gregg Barnes). Nicholaw's flawless direction leaves no theatrical stone unturned. At the center of this whirlwind are the sterling performances of Rob McClure, Josh Grisetti, and Adam Pascal, supported by a terrific ensemble.

Sometimes I wait to pay attention to a certain musical until I can experience it fully. That was the case with Something Rotten!, currently on tour playing the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I've been impatiently avoiding listening to the music since its release but let me tell you, the wait was worth it.

On Monday, October 23, the Theater People podcast welcome's fellow podcaster Gillian Pensavalle of 'The Hamilcast.' For the episode, Pensavalle shares the origins of the popular HAMILTON-themed podcast. She also shares all the details of HAMILTON creator Lin-Manuel Miranda coming to her apartment and doing a 4-hour interview for the podcast.

The completely original new musical Something Rotten!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell, opens at the Eccles Theater, January 9 January 14, 2018.

On Monday, October 9, the Theater People podcast welcomes Broadway and TV star Hlene Yorke. Helene made her Broadway debut in 2008 in GREASE. She went on to originate the role of Olive in BULLETS OVER BROADWAY and Evelyn in AMERICAN PSYCHO. On television, she is well known for her work on THE GOOD FIGHT, MASTERS OF SEX, and GRAVES.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is gearing up for one of its biggest seasons of comedy, as an array of renowned comedians and productions come to its stages.

On Monday, October 2, the Theater People podcast welcomes Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan. Jeremy Jordan made his Broadway debut in 2009's ROCK OF AGES. He went on to play the Tony alternate, appearing twice per week, in the 2009 revival of WEST SIDE STORY. In 2011 he originated the role of Clyde Barrow in BONNIE AND CLYDE. And he received his first Tony nomination for originating the role of Jack Kelly in 2011's NEWSIES.

Casting call! BroadwayCon is seeking specialty acts for the second annual BroadwayCon Star To Be competition in partnership with the Jimmy Awards, the annual high school musical theatre showcase presented by The Broadway League Foundation. Up to ten finalists will be selected to perform on the BroadwayCon MainStage for a panel of three celebrity judges and a room full of fellow Broadway fans on Saturday, January 27, 2018.

Of course to use some of the phrases like the 'cats pajamas' or 'hip cat', feels like something form the beatnik period, but highly sought after Music Producer/Conductor/Arranger, James Sampliner, is exactly that.

Let's set the Way Back Machine to the 2014/2015 season where the 5th Avenue Theatre touted the pre-Broadway tryout of a new musical comedy called Something Rotten! . Many musical theater geeks, myself included, were quite excited at the premise of this new tuner but then the theater Gods frowned upon us and smiled on them as they announced they would go right to Broadway. The show had a respectable run on Broadway despite getting a few tepid reviews from the New York critics but now it's back and the question remains, did we miss out and was the show worth the wait? Well I can say that the show is incredibly stupid and silly, filled with crass and bawdy humor and more musical theater references than you can shake a jazz hand at. But above all, it's FUN! If you're looking for some deep meaning then, by all means look elsewhere but if you want to laugh and don't mind repeated phallic jokes then this could be right up your alley.

On Monday, September 11, Theater People podcast welcomes Broadway favorite Morgan James. For the episode, James shares her story of first moving to New York City to attend the Julliard School as a voice major. Attending Julliard had been a life-long dream and when she was wait listed, she had to get creative in order to make her admission a reality. After graduating and deciding to pursue a career in musical theater, James struggled to find work and had to figure out how she best fit into 'the business.'

On Wednesday, August 30, Theater People podcast welcomes CATS star Tyler Hanes. Since making his Broadway debut as a teenager in 2002's OKLAHOMA, Hanes has racked up nine Broadway credits including HAIRSPRAY, THE BOY FROM OZ, SWEET CHARITY, A CHORUS LINE, and ON THE TOWN.

As BroadwayWorld sadly reported yesterday, Thomas Meehan, who is best known for his books of such classics as Annie, The Producers and Hairspray, has passed away at 88 years old.

I've always been a fan of satire and cheesy comedy, but the Broadway smash 'Something Rotten' by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick took this art form to a whole new level. The show is currently on tour, and made a stop in Las Vegas's beautiful Smith Center. I was lucky enough to get tickets and experience this musical masterpiece.

The completely original new musical SOMETHING ROTTEN!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (THE BOOK OF MORMON, ALADDIN), with music and lyrics by GRAMMY Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell, opens at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Aug. 8 - 13, 2017.