This weekend, director Leila Alvares and Cause Foundation are all set to bring back the musical comedy, Something Rotten, by John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick. Set in England in the 1590’s, Something Rotten follows two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, who attempt to write a hit play but are overshadowed by a Renaissance rock star known as ‘The Bard.’ Determined to create the world’s first musical, the two act showcases the journey of how the brothers realise the importance of, ‘being true to thyself!’ Beside a well-known cast, including Prem Koshy, Tasneem Kera, Aashish Paul, Arvind Kasthuri and Elexer Fernandes among others, the production also promises vibrant costumes and hand-painted sets by Alen Church. Ahead of the premiere, Leila tells us more about the production.
Tell us about Something Rotten?
Something Rotten is one of the funniest productions that I have done since Monty Python’s Spamalot in 2011. This production is quite naughty with a lot of innuendos — but nothing really offensive (unless you are a nitpicker who decides to find it so) In any case, I have sanitised it a bit in places, in ways that did not affect the original production.
What made you choose Something Rotten for your annual production?
Well, my preference has always been for musical comedies — so, I am always on the lookout for new content in this genre. Something Rotten pushed all the right buttons for me — a catchy score, a hilarious script and many exuberant choreographies. The music is just as delightful, the costumes just as extravagant and my talented cast, superlative in their amazing performance.
Did you face any difficulties while working on the production?
After 25 years of producing Broadway musicals, nothing is difficult anymore. Just the usual minor annoyances of traffic and rains delaying our rehearsals etc. In fact, I want to take a moment here to appreciate Kim Noble and Anita Ojha of Tunbridge High School for so willingly allowing us to use their auditorium for rehearsals — without which (and I kid you not), I would have stopped doing musicals altogether.
With every passing year, do you see any difference in the way people look at musicals?
Definitely, a lot more people are being introduced to the joys of a Broadway musical — primarily because a lot of schools have also started doing in-house productions. We, (Cause Foundation) are fortunate to have a very loyal fan base who look forward to our musicals eagerly each year and I would like to express my gratitude to them — because frankly, they are what keeps me going — even though, each year, I say that I am going to hang up my boots after this one.
What are your other upcoming projects?
Musically, we do just one event a year mainly due to financial constraints and the difficulties of getting an appropriate cast together — as this is a purely voluntary venture. But the Cause Foundation does want to be involved in (and in fact, has already done so) a couple of eco-friendly initiatives each year as part of our desire to help the environment.
INR 200 onwards. August 26, 7.15 pm and August 27, 11.15 am & 7.15 pm. At Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleshwaram.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @al_ben_so