Something Rotten! musical postpones UK premiere

The UK premiere of Something Rotten! has been postponed, it has been revealed.

With book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell and music by Wayne and Kirkpatrick, the piece follows two brothers in the late 16th century who try and outshine legendary playwright William Shakespeare. The musical originally ran on Broadway in 2015, and was nominated for ten Tony Awards.

It was originally meant to have its UK premiere at the Birmingham Rep in the autumn of 2020, and then again in the autumn of 2021, but the venue is now said to be "working hard to confirm new performance dates and times for this show". The theatre recently announced its new 50th anniversary season into 2022, including the world premiere of new musical What's New Pussycat?.

Creative team for the production is to be revealed, with the venue's artistic director Sean Foley originally said to be directing the piece, which also features Six choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, musical director Andrew Hilton and casting by Jim Arnold.

A note to ticket holders said:

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the postponement of our autumn production, Something Rotten! The continued challenges of COVID-19, with extremely large casts and international travel, has forced further delays.

"We are working hard to confirm new performance dates and times for this show and we will be in touch with ticket options soon.

"Whilst we understand the disappointment this will no doubt cause, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support regarding show postponements and look forward to welcoming you to The REP to experience this show.

"The team at Birmingham Repertory Theatre".

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