The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) is set to open the hilarious musical comedy Something Rotten! with a cast that includes a roster of New York City guest artists, many FPAC favorites, and Kenneth Elmore, the new President of Dean College.
The show runs March 10-19 at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin. According to Director Raye Lynn Mercer, “We are thrilled to welcome President Elmore to the FPAC theater family and very happy to feature him in this fantastically funny musical! He will appear in two roles as arts patron Lord Clapham and as The Master of the Justice with the fate of story’s lead characters in his hands.” Mercer adds, “The cast we have assembled for this show is off the charts and our audiences will be thoroughly entertained by great music, a lot of laughs, and wonderful dancing with choreography by Broadway’s Tyler Hanes.”
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| Kenneth Elmore |
Elmore has made appearances in John Brown’s Body, Black Nativity, and Anything Goes. He has a keen interest in ensuring that Dean College contributes to building a creative community of artists in Franklin. “There is nothing like live theatre, especially this show – it’s a hoot!” said Elmore. We’re proud to be part of the show as a sponsor and as actors. I hope this an exciting and joyful step towards Dean College’s integration with the Franklin Performing Arts Company.”
Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as "The Bard." When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing, and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz.
FPAC’s production stars NYC/LA’s Robbie Rescigno and Paul Rescigno as the Bottom Brothers, Christopher Rice-Thomson (Hamilton, Book of Mormon, Pretty Woman) as Shakespeare, Katie Gray as Bea, Ali Funkhouser as Portia, and Michael Barra (The Greatest Showman, A Bronx Tale) as Nostradamus.
The production directed by FPAC Artistic/Executive Director Raye Lynn Mercer features choreography by Broadway legend Tyler Hanes. Hanes was only 17 when he was discovered by Ann Reinking while attending Broadway Theater Project in Tampa, Florida. She cast him in the first national tour of the Tony Award winning musical, Fosse. Following the tour, he attended Carnegie Mellon University, leaving after a year to make his Broadway debut in the 2002 Broadway revival of Oklahoma! Soon after, he appeared in the original Broadway companies of Urban Cowboy, The Boy From Oz, The Frogs, the 2005 revival of Sweet Charity, and as Larry in the original revival company of A Chorus Line. Hanes also appeared in the Broadway companies of Hairspray and the 2014 revival of On The Town. He starred as Rum Tum Tugger in the highly anticipated Broadway revival of CATS, for which he was nominated for a Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway show.
The Franklin Performing Arts Company at THE BLACK BOX is a professional Equity theater producing musicals, plays, and more, featuring Broadway stars, professional and regional performers, and emerging artists.
