Hunterdon Central Regional High School is proud to host this year’s musical, Something Rotten! presented by the Thespian Society (Dramatics Honors Society). Something Rotten! is a Shakespearean satire musical inspired by the infamous play Hamlet. Based in the year 1595 in London, England, the play follows two brothers, Nick (Max Keller) and Nigel Bottom (Tyler Ippolito). In this Renaissance-esque musical, Nick is a bard in which he playwrights musicals. However, he faces serious competition with the infamous, rock-star figure, William Shakespeare (Doug Vail), and is forced to go to a soothsayer (Piper Berkowitz) for better ideas before settling on a musical called “Omelette.” Aside from Nick’s journey to formulating the perfect musical, Nigel is a poet who faces a forbidden romance with a Protestant girl named Portia (Arianna Bellotti). This tale of two brothers included humorous jokes that certainly had the audience raving about them. This outstanding production would not be possible without its cast, ensemble, crew, and pit orchestra. I was given a great opportunity to even talk to some of the cast members, crew, and pit orchestra to get an insight into what it was like to produce a great performance and production.
I interviewed one of the leads of the show, Tyler Ippolito who played Nigel Bottom. Here is his take on this year’s Something Rotten! performance.
Tyler Ippolito, senior, as Nigel Bottom
INTERVIEWER: Tyler, it is known that this is your first-ever theatrical performance with the HCRHS Thespian Society. I mean, getting a lead role with no experience is huge! How would you describe your experience with the musical and its theater community?
TYLER IPPOLITO: I feel like it was really welcoming. It is my first time ever being involved in the musical or with the Thespian Society so being welcomed into this community was really great. It felt like a family and it’s the best community to make connections with.
INTERVIEWER: How has this shaped your interest in theatrical performing or musicals in general?
TYLER IPPOLITO: It definitely grew my interest in musicals, for sure. And it definitely got me into performing even more.
INTERVIEWER: What are your thoughts on the musical pick this year? Do you prefer having Something Rotten! as this year’s musical?
TYLER IPPOLITO: I think Something Rotten! was a really good choice for the school. The show allowed for there to be some form of interaction with the audience since it engaged them with humor. Something Rotten! included everything from tap dancing to forms of music, etc… It was really funny and it was different from the past musicals —
INTERVIEWER: So would you say that in terms of a playwright, this musical was more amusing than say, Cinderella or Les Mis?
TYLER IPPOLITO: It really depends on who’s watching it, to be honest. All of the musicals are different from one another so comparing it all would be tough. But I definitely enjoyed being a part of Something Rotten!
Of course, there wouldn’t be a musical without some live music! I’d like to introduce Elle Bischoff who plays the clarinet for the pit orchestra. Here is her experience in contributing to the production of Something Rotten!
Elle Bischoff, Junior, Clarinet for Pit Orchestra
INTERVIEWER: Was the score for Something Rotten! enjoyable to play? How would you compare it to past performances such as Cinderella or Les Miserables?
ELLE BISCHOFF: It was definitely enjoyable to play. It was both challenging technically and exciting musically which made it really fun to learn. It was much more difficult than Cinderella, at least speaking from the woodwinds, and more upbeat and dynamic.
INTERVIEWER: What are some qualities that an orchestra needs to have in order to execute the best musical performance?
ELLE BISCHOFF: I believe the most important part of the orchestra is its director. The pit is made up of a lot of experienced students, but regardless, there are a million ways to play a piece of music without someone being there to guide everyone towards the same musical direction. The pit also has to communicate with the cast and crew often. Especially if the music is too fast for the actors, or if a line was removed, or if the crew needs time to make a scene change. These things happen every year and Mr. Magalio has to talk to other staff look at the music and adjust what we do accordingly/ He does a great job and makes it a great experience for everyone.
INTERVIEWER: Since you’re the ones playing the music and didn’t get to see much of the visual aspect of the show, which song was the most fun to perform?
ELLE BISCHOFF: My favorite song to perform was “Make an Omelette.” In the pit, it had some difficult parts, but it all came together really nicely. I did get to look up at the stage now and then and it was awesome to see the costumes and dancing they had up there as well.
Finally, the show wouldn’t be the same without the crew and the stage managers. I had the pleasure of talking to Molly Briggs, who is one of the stage managers for the crew!
Molly Briggs, Junior, Stage Manager
INTERVIEWER: First off, this was a really great musical by the way. I was completely blown away by how amazing it was, so hats off to you and the theater community! As one of the stage managers, how important is it for both the running crew and the theater cast to work together during the show in order to handle such a production like this one?
MOLLY BRIGGS: Okay so, it is very important for the cast and crew to work together. When the musical is in its rehearsal stages and the crew starts to do scene changes, we need the cast to first off help to tell us where to put things, but they also help us with the set changes sometimes. But also, since theater is such an unpredictable thing, something can go wrong during one of the shows. For example, this year in one of the shows, a lantern broke, and there was glass all over the ground so during one of the set changes, someone on the crew grabbed as much as they could see in the dark, and then one of my friends on the cast (when it was their time to go on) they stayed in character and picked up the glass and put a lantern back on stage. So it’s really important for everyone to communicate so everything turns out well. Also, it’s nice when the cast and crew get along because when everyone is happy and having fun, the show goes great!
INTERVIEWER: And finally, what is your favorite backstage memory?
MOLLY BRIGGS: One of my favorite backstage memories would have to be when one of the dance numbers or songs are playing and everyone is dancing backstage, that’s just so fun!
It was great to get some insight and perspective from those who made Something Rotten! possible. This show was the product of amazing student collaboration and the astounding efforts of Mrs. Gail Enterline who coordinated the entire musical. After seeing the production of Something Rotten!, we’re all so excited and thrilled about what is to be planned for the next year!
References
Bischoff, Elle. Message Interview. 15 Mar, 2024.
Briggs, Molly. Message Interview. 15 Mar, 2024.
Ippolito, Tyler. In-person Interview. 14 Mar, 2024.
“Something Rotten.” Musical.org,
musical.org/something-rotten/#:~:text=Synopsis%3A%20Something%20Rotten%20takes%20place.
