From April 22 to May 1, the Archie Williams drama department, the Peregrine Players, performed Something Rotten as their annual extracurricular spring musical. The comedy follows two brothers as they attempt to outwrite William Shakespeare by creating the world’s first musical. Lasting 2 hours and 25 minutes with a short intermission, the Peregrine Players’ performance features lively music, dancing, and two tap dance numbers.
The production includes 19 musical numbers performed by 10 lead characters and six ensemble members. Senior Cavan Donery and sophomore Xander Santucci took the roles of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two playwright brothers. Throughout the play, the brothers express frustration, as the celebrated William Shakespeare, a role shared by juniors Petra Betti and Gipsy Gregor, overshadows them. The show balances a mix of funny and serious moments, entertaining the audience while still keeping them engaged in the plot.
Drama teacher Jasper Thelin directed the play, and musical director Nick Brown and music teacher Mario Aparicio provided musical accompaniment. The production incorporated special effects and featured detailed costumes, props, and an elaborate set. Huda al-Jamal, the production designer, directly worked on one of the key features of the set: periaktoi, large wooden panels that display the background of each scene.
“I designed this show to have five three-sided moving periaktoi, which [demands lots of attention from] the run crew backstage. In every scene, to create a different location, they are swivelled and placed in different areas. It was really fun to build with the students, because everyone got really into building the [medieval] elements,” al-Jamal said.
Petra has participated in several drama productions before, and one of her favorite parts of acting is witnessing the first full rehearsal during the final week before the opening performance.
“We have no clue how it’s all going to come together, and somehow it manages to become a show out of nowhere. It creeps up on you and then suddenly you have a whole musical,” Petra said.
Several actors in this year’s production, including Petra and junior Izzy Proctor, also participated in the Peregrine Players’ rendition of Hadestown in 2025, which had a large ensemble body. Sophomore Poppy Henderson, an ensemble member, appreciated the shift to a smaller ensemble cast in this production and the tighter community that came with it.
“The ensemble [this year] is really small, so I have a lot of roles within that… all [of the ensemble members] got a lot closer, though, which is fun,” Poppy said.
While past musical productions by the Peregrine Players have taken on more serious topics, Something Rotten differs because of its comedic nature.
“This [production] is really funny compared to a lot of the other plays we do, which are usually more serious… [Something Rotten] is mostly all jokes, and the songs are funny,” Poppy said.
Petra agreed with Poppy, noting that the play differentiates itself from many Shakespearean works through its comedic nature and modern flair.
“A lot of people [might] misinterpret [the play and assume] it’s a Shakespeare show because Shakespeare is in it, and they [might] think it’s written by Shakespeare, but it’s not. It’s raunchy, it’s funny… and I have definitely grown to love it,” Petra said.
The Peregrine Players hosted the last show of their spring musical production on Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m. For their last performance of the school year, the Peregrine Players will host Friday Night Live!, a compilation of student-written short films near the end of May.
