LI Theater Company Presents 'Something Rotten!'

EAST ISLIP, NY — A Long Island theater company is celebrating its one year anniversary at its East Islip location — with something a little "rotten."

Studio Theater of Long Island is presenting the Tony award-winning musical, Something Rotten! on Friday, as it marks its milestone occupancy at Bayway Arts Theater, located at 265 E. Main Street in East Islip.

Rick Grossman, executive artistic director and director of Something Rotten! spoke with Patch about the importance of bringing comedy and entertainment at this time in history.

"We see enough tragedy on our TV screens these days, that I think people need a little bit of two and a half hours to go escape," he said.

Set in the 1590's, Something Rotten! tells the story of brothers Nigel and Nick Bottom, who attempt to write the world's first musical.

According to the company website, the show is a "mash-up of sixteenth century Shakespeare and twenty first century Broadway" that is "full of laughs, great music, and loaded with big tap dance" numbers.

In 2015, Something Rotten! was nominated for seven Tony awards, and won the Best Musical category.

"It's a hilarious spoof of a musical that deals with what hypothetically could have happened had musical theater come along during the Age of Shakespeare, and how Shakespeare himself would have dealt with it," said Grossman.

What makes this production so special, Grossman said, is how every cast and crew member carries their own unique set of skills.

"I've been involved in theatre on a regional and professional level for 45 years now," he said. "This is one of the most ultra talented casts that I've ever had the pleasure to work with."

The cast of 26 hail from both Long Island and New York City. While some are seasoned actors and familiar faces to the company, Grossman told Patch that the theater strives to give newcomers an opportunity to shine.

"I'm sure many of these young people in our show will one day get their shot on Broadway, because that's how great they are," he said.

Occupying Bayway Arts Theater, Grossman told Patch, not only provides entertainment, but preserves a part of East Islip history.

For the past 40 years, the building was used as a performance space under a separate theater company. But before that, it served as a middle and high school.

"It's interesting when we have actors and musicians that come to do shows with us who are alumni that say, 'I went here'," he said.

Studio Theater of Long Island first began at Manes Studio Theatre of Long Island in Lindenhurst, more than 50 years ago, and continues to perform there today, Grossman said.

The company strives not only to perform musicals, but dramas that reflect current events, he said. For example, in their last season, the company presented Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, which explores the topics of racism and classism.

"We always want to do things that have some social relevance to it besides entertaining," said Grossman. "There is some social relevance being bought for fourth through the arts."

But for right now, an audience deserves to sit, back, relax, and laugh, Grossman said.

"Coming into this season, and things hopefully back to the normal, I would like to give something to the audience," he said. "They could just come in and really have a good hysterically-laughing time."

Something Rotten! will run at Bayway Theater from Friday until Sunday, July 24. To purchase tickets, click here.

To learn more about the Studio Theater of Long Island, click here.