FRONT & CENTER “Something Rotten” is onstage at The Phoenix Theatre Company

“Something Rotten” is onstage at The Phoenix Theatre Company

Prepare for total musical theater chaos when “Something Rotten!” opens at Te Phoenix Teatre Company on March 18. Audiences are in for one wild ride when the conniving but clueless Bottom brothers, not content to let William Shakespeare get all the attention, hatch a plan to cook up the next big stage hit. After an illadvised trip to see Nostradamus’s food-obsessed nephew, they risk everything to produce what they believe will be the show of the future: the musical!

Director Kathy Fitzgerald returns to Te Phoenix Teatre Company for the frst time since appearing as Mama Rose in its 2012 production of “Gypsy.” Kathy got her start in Phoenix in the 1987 production of “Nite Club Confdential” and was one of the Valley’s best-

known talents until Broadway producers took notice and cast her in “Swinging on a Star,” her 1995 Broadway debut. She has since earned her place on Broadway with appearances in roles ranging from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (as Mrs. Gloop), “Oliver!” (as Widow Corney), “Wicked” (as Madame Morrible) and in “Te Producers” (as Shirley/Ensemble). Kathy takes her inspiration from some of the greatest names in comedy. As a part of the cast of the original production of “Te Producers,” in which she starred for six years, she cites Mel Brooks and Nathan Lane as two of her biggest infuences. “Working with Mel Brooks was the single biggest ‘a-ha’ moment in my career,” she says. “You’re in a room with the best of the best. Making Mel laugh is the only option.”

Kathy Fitzgerald as Mama Rose in 2012 Gypsy at The Phoenix Theatre Company.

Something Rotten! WHERE: The Phoenix Theatre Company 1825 N. Central Ave., Phoenix WHEN: March 18-April 19 TICKETS: 602-254-2151 or phoenixtheatre.com

Kathy recalls her frst experience with “Something Rotten!” “When I frst saw this musical on Broadway, some of my closest friends were in the cast. It felt like a party. You could tell how much fun they were having. I want to recreate that feeling. I want the audience to sense the chemistry of this great cast.” “Something Rotten!” manages to be both merciless and afectionate in its skewering of Broadway. Musical theater’s most devoted fans will appreciate the care and craft in the fantastic songs, and won’t be able to keep from laughing along. Songs like “Welcome to the Renaissance” and “Te Black Death” ofer a delightfully wacky take on history. Te production takes audiences on a tour through some of Broadway’s most iconic styles, from the classics to rock and pop. Fans should keep an ear out for “Easter egg” references to some of the biggest musical hits of all time.

“Everything about this show is just a little bit tilted. Everyone has these big, wild, totally unrealistic dreams of greatness,” says Kathy. “And that’s where the comedy lives; the characters are all totally out of their minds.”

Combining everything you love about Broadway – big dance numbers, bold costumes and eye-rolling of-stage antics – “Something Rotten!” is the musical extravaganza you didn’t know you needed!