Set in 1959, the hilarious show Something Rotten! is the story of two brothers named Nick and Nigel Bottom living in the Renaissance period. They are competing with William Shakespeare to find success in the theater world.
After a series of mishaps and crazy situations, a production is brought to life called Something Rotten! Be prepared for lots of laughs and a possible beheading in the process for this 10-time Tony-nominated show.
This year, a national tour of Something Rotten! was launched, bringing Blake Hammond back in Chicago, where he has spent time. Over his career he has played many roles, such as Ernie in Sister Act, Chadwick in Elf, Braithwaite in Billy Elliot and Pumbaa in The Lion King.
Windy City Times: Hi, Blake. Where are you from?
Blake Hammond: I grew up in Texas——a small town called Glen Rose. It has about 1,800 people living there and [is] about an hour from Fort Worth and Dallas.
I went to school at University of Texas at Austin, where I studied theater. Afterward, I went to New York for two years, then Chicago for seven years.
WCT: Where did you perform in Chicago?
BH: I did a lot of musical theater. I was in Oak Brook and Lincolnshire. Back then there was Candlelight Playhouse, Drury Lane South and Halsted Street Company.
The last couple of years I was there, I worked on Donny Osmond's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat production. I went on tour with it for a year. That motivated me to move back to New York because I had money to just work as an actor. It worked out well!
WCT: Do you have a favorite musical?
BH: I adore Hairspray. It is one of the best books ever and I love the songs.
My favorite dramatic one is Man of La Mancha. It tugs at my heart. I love the play within the play. As an actor it is fun to play a prisoner then transform into a padre.
WCT: How was dressing in drag to play Edna in Hairspray?
BH: It was great. I had done When Pigs Fly on Broadway that had some drag in it before that.
Doing Edna was amazing because it was playing a mother as opposed to playing a drag queen. What is great about Broadway is that you have so much help. You have someone to paint your face and choose the colors for your lipstick.
WCT: Doing anything for Pride month besides being gay?
BH: [Laughs] Something Rotten! We don't have lots of free time on these tours. I am proud onstage every day.
Unless I happen to be in a city, like for When Pigs Fly when I was in LA. Years ago we were in the Pride parade. It is hard to do on the road. There is not necessarily a Pride parade in every city that you go to.
WCT: Where are you on the tour currently?
BH: I am in Dallas, so I am home. I have been in Texas for a month. It has been nice to stay with family and have them all see the show.
WCT: Talk about Something Rotten!
BH: It is brand new for each city, because it has never been on tour before. It is a completely new musical that people are not usually familiar with. I love that about it. It is not based on previous other stuff like movies, or a book. It comes out of two brother's minds and is about two brothers.
It is a love letter to musical theater in a way. It touches on all the different musicals that have happened over history. There are so many references in the show. If you love musical theater you will have a lot of laughs just with that alone.
There is also the Shakespeare component. It is set in 1590s where he is the bees knees. He's sort of a like a rock star. I think it is fun for people that love or hate Shakespeare. He is made fun of so it works on both levels.
What I find is that no matter what city we go to the audiences just come out in droves and just loved it. People say they didn't know what to expect, but are surprised how funny it is. It is a great night at the theater. People leave smiling from ear to ear.
WCT: Talk about your character, Nostradamus.
BH: He is a soothsayer. He predicts the future. I love him. I play him with a lot of confidence. I think you would have to be confident to take money to tell the future. He is not that good at it. He sees things that are true, but he doesn't know how to put them into context. I think that is where a lot of the comedy comes into this character—things that shouldn't go together go together, but somehow he sees that.
WCT: There are a lot of gay jokes?
BH: Absolutely. There is a Puritan who is the villain, if there is one of the piece. He is against theater. He has a daughter who falls in love with one of the Bottom brothers. The Puritan is about as prissy as they come.
There are also some yummy men in the show. Shakespeare has some back up boys that wear black leather with codpieces. The four of them are H-O-T. That is always fun to watch for me!
WCT: Talk about your recent show Living on Love.
BH: It didn't last for very long, which was a shame. They didn't know how to market it I think. Renee Fleming, the opera star, was in this play. They had written it for her and worked with her on developing it. There were six of us in the play. We did it at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. It was picked up for the Broadway run. It was a limited run to begin with, but opened the same time Something Rotten! opened. It has gotten really competitive in New York.
I remember when there were a only a few shows opening at a time with empty seats, now shows are waiting to get in. There are like 18 new musicals in a season. It is incredible.
I had a great time doing that play. It was fun to be in an original Broadway play since I have done so many musicals in my career.
WCT: I met Renee recently and she was very nice.
BH: She is a sweetheart. I remember in one rehearsal that she asked the cast if we had any tricks for learning our lines. I thought, "You speak seven languages and can sing any opera you can name, so I think you will be okay learning some words!"
WCT: How was the Addams Family experience?
BH: That is one of my favorite roles. Not the greatest show I have been in, though they rewrote it for the tour, and was improved hugely from the Broadway production.
I loved playing Fester Addams. I played him like a 40-year-old man with the mind of a 10-year-old boy. He is like a child. When they rewrote the script they made him more of a narrator. It is a fun experience as an actor to step forward and break the wall to talk to the people sitting there. I liked to stand in front of the curtain and look the audience in the eye. That doesn't happen a lot in theater.
WCT: What are you doing after the tour ends?
BH: It goes on until May 2018. I am signed until January. Who knows what will happen after that. I would love a little time off, but I have enjoyed touring though. I like bringing these great shows to people that would not see them otherwise.
Something Rotten! comes to Chicago July 11-23 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. Call 800-775-2000 or visitBroadwayInChicago.com for tickets .
