34 | GREENVILLE JOURNAL | 04.07.2017 GREENVILLEJOURNAL.COM
CULTURE FRI
07
COMMUNITY
Meredith Piper Opening
Textile Hall 582 Perry Ave. 5-8 p.m. FREE The Village of West Greenville’s Textile Hall co-op space will serve as the venue for a special exhibition of local artist Meredith Piper’s work. The Louisiana native is known for her contemporary, creative approaches to a variety of mixed media, including textile designs, oils, and pastels. The evening’s reception will also feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and the opportunity to take home a unique piece of Piper’s art. bit.ly/2nawzfA
BROADWAY AND THE BARD
LITERATURE
Ashley Poston Book Signing at Fiction Addiction
Fiction Addiction 1175 Woods Crossing Road #5 5:30 p.m. FREE Cinderella goes to the con in “Geekerella,” a fandomfueled twist on the classic fairy tale. Meet Columbiabased author Ashley Poston as she discusses her new young adult novel, after which she will take questions from the audience and sign books. Wearing a cosplay costume will get 10 percent off any merchandise purchased at the event. This event is free and open to the public, but please RSVP at 864-675-0540. 864-675-0540 bit.ly/2m8IF8z info@fiction-addiction.com
MUSIC
Hustle Souls live in Greenville
Aloft Hotel 5 North Laurens St. 9 p.m. FREE Hustle Souls combine four-part vocal harmony, roaring trumpet, brilliantly voiced guitar chords, and the most creative rhythm section seen in a long time. With undeniable originality, the music pushes the nostalgic sounds from rustic Memphis to soulful Muscle Shoals into modern and refreshing territory. bit.ly/2nHrcqw
MUSIC
Tracy Lawrence
Blind Horse Saloon 1035 Lowndes Hill Road 7 p.m. $17 adv/$20 door Tracy Lawrence sold 13 million albums and scored seven No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country charts the ‘90s, and he’ll no doubt be playing standbys like “Time Marches On,” “Alibis,” and “Texas Tornado” at his Blind Horse Saloon Show. 864-233-1381 bit.ly/2lCo1Mu
MUSIC
Dirtbag Love Affair, Antiseen & The Casket Creatures
Ground Zero 3052 Howard St., Spartanburg 9 p.m. FREE An all-punk triple bill for Ground Zero, ranging from goth-punkers The Casket Creatures and more straightahead loud-hard-fast attitude from Dirtbag Love Affair and Antiseen. 864-948-1161 bit.ly/2lAVPwz
CALENDAR continued on PAGE 42
Jeremy Daniel / Contributing
Somewhat of a rarity on Broadway these days, “Something Rotten” is an original show — not based on a book, movie, play, or other source.
‘Something Rotten!’ pokes playful fun at them both CINDY LANDRUM | STAFF
clandrum@communityjournals.com
For the past nine months, Josh Grisetti has starred as Nigel Bottom in “Something Rotten!,” first on Broadway and now in the touring show coming to Greenville for an eight-show run beginning April 11, and he’s still discovering references to beloved musicals the writers have tucked into the script and song lyrics. “Literally two days ago, I heard something that reminded me of the ‘ding, ding, ding’ in the trolley section of ‘Meet Me in St. Louis,’” he said. “I’ve been doing this for nine months and I’m still hearing things I hadn’t heard before. But once you hear it, it’s so obvious that you wonder how you didn’t hear it before.” “Something Rotten!” is set in 1595 London and tells the story of two brothers who are having a tough go of it in the theatrical shadow of the great, rock star-like William Shakespeare. The story kicks off when Nick, Nigel’s brother, decides to consult a cut-rate soothsayer to try to beat Shakespeare to the next hit. The soothsayer says the next big thing in
theater will be something called a musical, or a play where “an actor is saying his lines, and out of nowhere he just starts singing…” Nick thinks it’s ridiculous, but the brothers decide to give it a try if that’s what it takes to get out of Shakespeare’s shadow. The result is a show full of Shakespeare and musical references. But audience members don’t have to be Bard scholars to enjoy the show. “If you know Shakespeare wrote ‘Hamlet,’ that’s all the Shakespeare knowledge you need,” Grisetti said. “You don’t have to be a Broadway expert, either. If you have a basic knowledge of musical theater, there are tons of jokes. If you’re a diehard, it’s endless.” Written by brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, “Something Rotten!” is somewhat of a rarity on Broadway these days. It’s an original show, not based on a book, movie, play, or other source. Karey started his career as a screenwriter for Disney Animation with credits that include “The Rescuers Down Under,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “Chicken Run.” Wayne is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter who penned Eric Clapton’s Song of the Year “Change the World” and Garth Brooks’ “Wrapped Up in You.” They batted around the idea for “Something Rotten!” since the mid-1990s. The show opened on Broadway in April 2015. “It’s a love letter to Broadway,” Grisetti said. “People love it.” Every artist, whether an actor, musician,
or writer, competes with their contemporaries, he said. “You have no choice but to compete,” Grisetti said. “But what it does to you as a person or artist is your choice.” Grisetti said Nick is obsessed that he’s not as good as Shakespeare. Nigel, on the other hand, is inspired by it. He doesn’t want to beat Shakespeare, but he uses him as a source to better himself. While Grisetti is more accustomed to playing the funny role, he relishes playing the straight man in “Something Rotten!” “I think when you’ve played both, it helps you understand the mathematics of how jokes are set up in a show. It’s easier to step into the role of the setup man without competing for the attention or laughs,” he says. “If you’re not careful, you can steal the scene and you don’t want to do that.”
“SOMETHING ROTTEN!” WHEN April 11-16, 7:30 p.m. (April 11-13); 8 p.m. (April 14-15); 2 p.m. (April 15); 1 p.m. (April 16); 6:30 p.m. (April 16) WHERE Peace Center Concert Hall TICKETS $25-$85 INFO 864-467-3000, peacecenter.org