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| A scene from the musical, "Something Rotten!" / Courtesy of M Theater |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Set in 1595 London, musical comedy "Something Rotten!" revolves around the Bottom Brothers, Nick and Nigel, playwrights who are overshadowed by their contemporary, William Shakespeare. Although the two brothers are the main protagonists of the wildly popular theatrical show, in its Korean production, Shakespeare ― played by actor Seo Kyung-soo ― literally steals the scene with his performance, incorporating a dry sense of humor.
Penned by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick, "Something Rotten!" is the 10-time Tony Award-nominated musical that premiered on Broadway in 2015. Its Korean adaptation, which hit the stage for the first time in 2020, has been running at the Universal Arts Center from Dec. 21, 2021. Although the show was temporarily put on a hold after Seo and actor Lee Choong-joo ― who alternates the role of Nick Bottom ― tested positive for COVID-19, it began its run again on Feb. 17, adding two new cast members. Kim Dong-wan, a member of K-pop act Shinhwa, and actor Choi Jae-rim have joined the cast as Nick Bottom and William Shakespeare, respectively.
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| The poster featuring actor Seo Kyung-soo / Courtesy of M Theater |
However, this does not mean that Kim Dong-wan and Lim Kyu-hyung (Nigel Bottom) fell short of mesmerizing the audience. They also breathed new life into the Bottom Brothers, who were stuck in the shadow of Shakespeare, bringing mirth to the viewers by vividly portraying their contrasting personalities.
Kim, in particular, boasted his vocal prowess in the world-famous number, "A Musical," a vibrant easy-to-follow song with a catchy refrain that uses the names of hit musicals such as, "Singing in the Rain" and "Notre-Dame de Paris" in its lyrics. As the actors parodied some scenes in these works, the audience immediately cried with laughter.
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| Kim Dong-wan, left, and Choi Jae-rim have recently joined the cast of the musical, "Something Rotten!" Courtesy of M Theater |
In the show, Nick belts out "A Musical" with the ensemble after visiting a soothsayer named Thomas Nostradamus, the nephew of prophet Nostradamus, who tells Nick that "A musical" is likely to be the next big thing in theater. Wondering why a theater show would embrace music, Nick hardly believes him at first, but later, he attempts to produce a musical titled, "Omelet" when Thomas told him that Shakespeare's next hit will be something about "Omelet" ― not "Hamlet." Driven by the desire to make money, Nick seeks to create a musical starring eggs, despite opposition from his younger brother. But in the end, things do not turn out the way he expected.
Another eye-catching character in the musical is Nick's wife Bea, played by actress Lee Yeong-mi. Bea, who probably is the most progressive character in the show, appears as a reliable supporter of her husband, who wants to become his "right-hand woman." In her performance of "Right Hand Man," she sings: "Just to be a pretty lady, that would be a pity, baby. I am stronger than you think, don't be thinking I ain't tough."
"Something Rotten!" will run through April 10 at the Universal Arts Center.
