A doubling of voices, tones, and expressions in Unlabeled Theater's 'Something Rotten'
Image: Jordan Buckellew
Unlabeled Theater’s rendition of Something Rotten! was a fun, hilarious, and unique experience that I would recommend anyone check out, that is, if it wasn’t already sold out for the whole run!
This was my first time seeing this musical set in 1590s England where two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, are trying to write the next big theatrical hit to hold their own against the superstar bard of the day: William Shakespeare. As the brothers seek to get their moment in the limelight, Nick goes to gather intel from a soothsayer in order to predict what will be popular in the future of theater.
I was endlessly impressed...
When I heard that each role with Unlabeled Theater was a pairing of an artist who is either neurodivergent or has a cognitive or physical disability and a shadow partner who is neurotypical, I was not sure how the actors would engage with one another, but I was not expecting each of them to say all the lines in unison! The doubling of voices, tones, and expressions in having two actors say each line brought such a vibrant energy and spirit to the show. I was endlessly impressed with the timing and coordination for each pairing and the mirroring they were able to enact vocally and across the stage.
Sean Carroll and Joey Deegan (Shadow Partner) were excellent as the lead character Nick Bottom. They filled the space, separating each to one side of the thrust stage and then returning to each other perfectly. The same can be said of Zach Williams and Leah Leonard (Shadow Partner) in the rockstar role of The Bard. The heightened energy from these pairings had the highs of the humor landing all the more. Eve Benson and Shanan Custer (Shadow Partner) stood out in the role as Nostradamus, bringing a wonderful light-hearted character to life as they foresaw that the next thing on the theatrical horizon would be musicals and that Shakespeare’s most famous play would be called…“Omelette”. Through a series of upbeat numbers, this comedy of errors references a vast array of Broadway musicals, from Cabaret to Annie to Cats and never loses steam. Like the eggs in the Bottom brothers’ new breakfast-themed musical, I could not stop cracking up.
Something Rotten! is running at the Gremlin Theater until January 25th. If you want to see if you can snag a last minute ticket in case of any no-shows, it is a sweet and fun way to spend an evening.
