Zelda Coertze saw her first Broadway show a decade ago.
Titled Something Rotten!, the musical about the theatrical Bottom brothers competing against William “The Bard” Shakespeare in 1595 drew rave reviews when it opened in New York in 2015.
“I remember thinking, ‘This show is going to be all the rage in high schools when we get the licensing rights,’” the drama teacher at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Secondary told the Tri-City News on Feb. 6. “It was fun, it was quirky and it had a lot of musical theatre and historical references to latch onto. Everybody was laughing and having fun.”
Now, Coertze is bringing the full production to the Riverwood Gate high school — the first time Something Rotten! has been performed in School District 43 (SD43).
And she’s got a cast of 32 student actors and six crew members who’ve been waiting since last June to stage the musical at the Terry Fox Theatre.
Coertze, who is directing and choreographing the show that runs from Feb. 19–21 and Feb. 26–29, said she was pleased her students wanted to take on the inaugural performance in SD43 because “it suits them really well.”
“It’s a silly comedy that can also be physically challenging at times.”
With the help of fellow drama teachers who had mounted Something Rotten! in the past three years, Coertze borrowed costumes and set pieces from Garibaldi Secondary in Maple Ridge, Brookswood Secondary in Langley and Seaton Secondary in Vernon for her PoCo show.
Last September, Coertze, along with musical director Taylor McKee, held auditions with the Musical Theatre 10–12 class to pick the cast and start rehearsals.
The show is split into two acts and runs for two hours.
“The Shakespearean and musical theatre references are so fun,” said McKee, a UBC psychology and music grad who, like Coertze, saw Something Rotten! in 2015 and was also her first Broadway excursion.
For Jay Henri, 16, who portrays Nigel Bottom, the Grade 11 student said she’s looking forward to having a bigger role this year and singing a duet; in 2024 at Terry Fox Secondary, she played Dionysus in The Lightening Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, another SD43 premiere.
Teegan Frost said she’s also having fun with her character: Portia, the young Puritan who breaks free from her overbearing father, a church leader, and finds love.
“Something Rotten! is really a love letter to musical theatre,” the Grade 11 student said. “It’s not a serious show and there are lots of jokes to laugh at. There’s something for everybody.”
For $10 online tickets to see Something Rotten! at the Terry Fox Theatre (1260 Riverwood Gate, Port Coquitlam), visit onstagedirect.com. Entry is $15 at the door on show nights. The understudy night is Feb. 26. Due to strong language, the performance is suitable for ages 10 and up.
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