Show Synopsis - Something Rotten

Act One

London, 1595. "Welcome to the Renaissance," when William Shakespeare is at the top of a list of famous playwrights, while Nick and Nigel Bottom are definitely, well, bottom. The brothers are rehearsing their latest hope for a hit play, when their patron turns up with the news that the Bard has written the very same idea. "God, I Hate Shakespeare!" declares Nice to his shocked troupe. 

Back at home, Nick's wife, Bea, suggests that she could help out by getting a job. "Let me be your 'Right Hand Man,'" she implores, but the suggestion only makes Nick feel more like a failure. In private, he repeats "God, I Hate Shakespeare!" — even if he admits to himself that it wouldn't be so bad to have some of that success... if only he could know what the future holds. With that idea, he takes their precious savings and heads off to Soothsayer Alley.

Here, Nick encounters Nostradamus (or rather, his nephew, "Thomas"). Nick pays him to predict the next big thing in theatre, and Nostradamus foresees "A Musical!" Nick is convinced that this is what they must write! Their musical will be about something epic, a massive historical event, and so his troupe dances its way through a catchy little number about "The Black Death." Their patron is appalled and quits. Brother Jeremiah, the Puritan who hates all theatre, warns them not to add evil music to their already sinful plays. 

But Jeremiah's beautiful daughter, Portia, loves poetry and plays so when she discovers that she shares this passion with Nigel, they list their favorites in "I Love the Way" while falling in love with each other. They are amazed to be invited to hear a private recitation by William Shakespeare, who performs "Will Power," but at the show's after-party, it becomes clear that Shakespeare only wants to steal young Nigel's notebook. Nick bursts in, just in time to prevent the theft, but is publicly humiliated by the Bard.

Still with no idea for his musical, Nick returns to Nostradamus to ask what Shakespeare's greatest play will be. Nostradamus can see it clearly! Shakespeare's greatest work will be called... Omelette. With this foolproof idea, an excited Nick is convinced that this "Bottom's Gonna Be on Top!"

Act Two

London, 1595. "Welcome to the Renaissance," when William Shakespeare is at the top of a list of famous playwrights, while Nick and Nigel Bottom are definitely, well, bottom. The brothers are rehearsing their latest hope for a hit play, when their patron turns up with the news that the Bard has written the very same idea. "God, I Hate Shakespeare!" declares Nice to his shocked troupe. 

Back at home, Nick's wife, Bea, suggests that she could help out by getting a job. "Let me be your 'Right Hand Man,'" she implores, but the suggestion only makes Nick feel more like a failure. In private, he repeats "God, I Hate Shakespeare!" — even if he admits to himself that it wouldn't be so bad to have some of that success... if only he could know what the future holds. With that idea, he takes their precious savings and heads off to Soothsayer Alley.

Here, Nick encounters Nostradamus (or rather, his nephew, "Thomas"). Nick pays him to predict the next big thing in theatre, and Nostradamus foresees "A Musical!" Nick is convinced that this is what they must write! Their musical will be about something epic, a massive historical event, and so his troupe dances its way through a catchy little number about "The Black Death." Their patron is appalled and quits. Brother Jeremiah, the Puritan who hates all theatre, warns them not to add evil music to their already sinful plays. 

But Jeremiah's beautiful daughter, Portia, loves poetry and plays so when she discovers that she shares this passion with Nigel, they list their favorites in "I Love the Way" while falling in love with each other. They are amazed to be invited to hear a private recitation by William Shakespeare, who performs "Will Power," but at the show's after-party, it becomes clear that Shakespeare only wants to steal young Nigel's notebook. Nick bursts in, just in time to prevent the theft, but is publicly humiliated by the Bard.

Still with no idea for his musical, Nick returns to Nostradamus to ask what Shakespeare's greatest play will be. Nostradamus can see it clearly! Shakespeare's greatest work will be called... Omelette. With this foolproof idea, an excited Nick is convinced that this "Bottom's Gonna Be on Top!"

Info & FAQ

Show Rating

“Something Rotten” is rated PG-13. Please use the same discretion you would use for a motion picture.

Audience Age Requirements

Children under the age of 4 will not be admitted.

'Day of' Sales

Online ticket sales close 2 hours before each performance. Once online sales have closed, you can purchase tickets only at the Ticket Box Office ($1 fee at box office) 1.5 hours before the performance. Ticket Box Office is at the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts.

Ticket Purchase Disclaimer

All tickets sales are final. No refunds or exchanges available.

I purchased my tickets online, but I didn’t get any tickets. Where are my tickets?

Print your receipt out and bring it with you. It works just fine for our ushers as your tickets. Our online purveyor, seatyourself.biz, is fabulous, because they insure that you get your tickets with minimal service charges, and they sell our seats efficiently, minimizing our service charges, too, so we get the most money back to support the program and underwrite these amazing shows we get to do!

I purchased tickets for a bunch of friends, and I don’t have tickets to give to them. What should I do?

Go ahead and just make copies of your receipt so that your friends all have them. If they’re your friends, we expect y’all won’t fight over seats, so it’s fine for you to use multiple copies of your receipt to get everyone into the theater.

How long is the show?

The show runs two and a half hours, including a fifteen minute intermission.

Is there accessible seating at the BCPA?

Yes! There is accessible seating. You can choose accessible seats as one of your ticket buying options on our website. Please call Molly Scruggs at (678) 446-5924 and she’ll make sure the usher staff knows how many wheelchair spaces or folding seats you’ll need for accessible seat patrons and their guests.

Is there an elevator at the BCPA?

Yes. We have an elevator to get people to the balcony level. If you need accessible seats, please select them in our ticketing system, so you avoid having to navigate stairs.

I can’t use my tickets. What should I do?

As usual, there are a couple of options. Give them to friends. Give them away to people who might not have a chance to see the show otherwise! Call Molly Scruggs at (678) 446-5924 and let her know and perhaps we can resell them. (Given our usual demand, we sell out a lot, and we always have people hoping for turned back seats.) If you do this, depending on your tax situation, you can probably take a deduction for 80% of the price of the tickets as a donation to the program.

We do not give refunds. There is just no easy way to make that happen. In a limited number of situations, we can exchange your tickets for another performance, but that’s subject to availability and ticket load on our team.

The site says the show I want to attend is sold out.  What does that mean?

If the system says the show is sold out, it means we’ve sold all the available seats for the show, and your chances of getting a ticket are really slim. We do not hold “house seats”. On occasion, we’ll have seats turned back. If there is time, we’ll put those seats back up for sale on the system; if not, you can come to the BCPA before the show or call Molly Scruggs at (678) 446-5924 and she may know whether there is hope. And remember to order earlier next time! We hate disappointing people, but there are only so many seats available, and the fire marshal would get really, rightfully angry with the program (all in the name of our safety, of course) if we sold tickets for seats we don’t have!

Phil Johnson

Mr. Johnson joined the Brighton Musical Theater Creative Team in 2012. He has conducted the orchestra and prepared the chorus for each of the past 12 shows. He is proud to share recognition for “Excellence in Music Direction” with the 2023 BMT team for Guys and Dolls, presented by the Sutton Foster Awards. Phil has conducted Brighton High School choirs at Michigan Youth Arts Festival/All State Festival multiple times. He is a 3-time State Honors Choir Director.  Mr. Johnson received multiple nominations for “Teacher of the Year” through the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children, Ethan, Maxwell and Adeline, who enjoy family trips in their RV. Ethan is playing “King Agnar” and is in the chorus.  Adeline just completed “Frozen Jr.” playing “Olaf” with Pinckney Players. When not making music in the BCPA, PJ stays busy coaching Max’s 7th grade flag football team, and serving as the music director for Scranton Musical. Be on the lookout for “Beetlejuice Jr.” here in the BCPA April 24-26! Mr. Johnson would like to thank the cast, crew, orchestra, parent volunteers, and creative team of “Frozen” for making this experience so Hygge!

Michelle Holowicki

Michelle has taught Social Studies at BHS since 2006 and also teaches Performing Arts. Mrs. Holowicki has a passion for U.S. history, and government and for musicals and dancing. She co-directed and choreographed fourteen Brighton Musical productions, including Footloose, Bye Bye Birdie, Legally Blonde, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Nice Work If You Can Get It, White Christmas, Honeymoon in Vegas, Pippin, Newsies, Cinderella, High School Musical, Anastasia and a Broadway Musical Revue. She and her husband Josh are the proud parents of their daughter Ellery (almost 7), and son Jeremiah (4), who have also taken a liking to musicals. She is grateful to God for infinite blessings and answers to prayer, her imaginative husband Josh for his contributions to the program, and the Creative Team for going above and beyond! She would like to congratulate the cast, crew and all production teams for their hard work, vision, energy and expertise! When she first started working with this program in 2008, never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d still be putting magic on stage 16 seasons later!  So thankful for this dream-team and our collective journey to imagine, inspire, and create.

Josh Holowicki

Josh’s passion for theater has brought him to the BCPA for his 16th show with the Brighton High School Musical Theater Program. He has over 25 years of lighting and scenic design experience, has designed numerous Audio, Video and Lighting systems globally, and has learned from or worked directly with top lighting designers, including Tony Award winner Ken Billington, Tony Fransen and more. Josh is founder and President of E2i Design, a lighting, audio, and video design firm based here in Brighton. Josh also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Brighton Center for Performing Arts. He would like to thank all of the hard working volunteer parents who have made this show a success; without you we could not pull this off. He would also like to thank the cast and student production team members for their tireless dedication to excellence; it’s never easy but always worth it! Additionally, he would like to thank his fellow Creative Team members for their unbelievable investment of time, talent, and energy to bring something unique and special to the BCPA stage! Lastly, and most importantly, he would like to give a BIG shout out to his wife Michelle whose commitment to this program is unlike anything he has ever seen in professional theater. Cheers to 16 incredible years!

Kristine Stuenkel

Kristine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Michigan University and has been working in theater for over 15 years as a designer and producer. She has designed costumes/hair & makeup for Brighton High School plays and musicals since 2012. Kristine has also been acting as producer for Brighton Musical since 2021 and co-directs BHS Dramatic Arts (fall play) alongside her dear friend Sonja Marquis. When not working on productions at BHS Kristine lives and enjoys the beach in Siesta Key, Florida with her husband Mark. Special thanks to her creative team friends who have encouraged her when she felt pushed out of her comfort zone. She is extremely thankful for their obvious talents but even more so for their kind and supportive hearts and an environment that fosters not only creativity but growth and challenge. She is also grateful for the gift of mentoring the students who keep her heart full and her mind open. It truly is a gift to see them fly!

Sonja Marquis

Sonja is a professional actor, director, sound designer, and member of Actors’ Equity Association. Credits include: Purple Rose Theatre Company, Tipping Point Theatre, The Dio, Flint Repertory Theatre, Williamston Theatre, Encore Musical Theatre Company, Detroit Public Theatre, Detroit’s Music Hall, and the Geva Theater in Rochester, New York. She has received Best Actress Wilde Awards for her portrayals of Florence Foster Jenkins (Souvenir), Louise (Always Patsy Cline), Rosie (Mamma Mia), and Betty (The Great American Trailer Park Musical).  Other awards include Wilde Award wins for Best Sound Design (Driving Miss Daisy) and Best Theatre for Young Audiences (Charlotte’s Web, Director). In addition to her professional credits, Sonja is a Lecturer with Oakland University’s Department of Theatre and has worked with young artists of all ages as a theater instructor, playwright, mentor, and director. Frozen is her 7th Brighton High School Musical production. She is also grateful to partner with Kristine Stuenkel directing BHS Dramatic Arts productions since 2022. Sonja loves this team, is grateful for the program’s incredible volunteers, and adores these creative, goofy, kind-hearted, amazing students. She thanks them for filling her cup and hopes their high school theater experiences inspire them to continue to create, explore, and support the arts!

Bella Rabold

Bella is a Brighton Musical alumni. With six years of competitive dance and four years of musical theater under her belt, she is elated to have the opportunity to help choreograph this show. Bella was on stage for multiple productions during her high school career, including Newsies and Cinderella. She began working behind the scenes on The Wizard of Oz as assistant choreographer. She worked on the last three Brighton Musical shows: Guys and Dolls, High School Musical, and Anastasia. Bella graduated Eastern Michigan University last spring, earning her Bachelor's in Secondary Education, English Language and Literature, with a minor in Teaching Psychology. Bella began her teaching career last fall at Saline High School. She would like to thank her fellow directors and cast members over the past five years. Her experience in the Brighton Musical Program will forever hold a place in her heart, and watching the students of the program grow has been nothing short of a privilege and honor.

Emilia Sawyer

Emi is in her 7th year of teaching at Brighton High School. Depending on the year, Emi can be found working in the special education department or the English department. She finds joy in both. This is Emi's 4th musical at BHS. She began helping with choreography with Newsies and has been in love with the program ever since. Emi and her husband, Derek, recently welcomed their first child. She is a beautiful and sweet baby girl named Allie. Emi would like to thank her family for supporting her through musical show season, even if it means that they miss out on some time with her. She would also like to thank the cast, crew, and directors for being so passionate and motivating.