Musical Review: “Something Rotten!” Is Certified Fresh

MICHAEL SHTROM Staff Writer

The Pinewood Performing Arts department has done it again. With seemingly endless dedication, the PPA has performed one of the greatest spectacles I have seen in a long time: “Something Rotten!” — the spring musical.

After a cheerful introduction to the Renaissance, the narrator (sophomore Mia Gustavson) introduces the audience to Nick Bottom (senior Emmett Smith), a playwright and actor who is placed in the unfortunate position of having to compete with William Shakespeare (senior Adam Fallick). In a desperate attempt to turn the tables on Shakespeare, Nick hires soothsayer Nostradamus (senior Nate Martin) to see into the future so Nick can steal the idea for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In a humorous twist, Nostradamus misinterprets the idea as a musical named “Omelette,” which Nick puts on with his acting troupe. Meanwhile, when his brother and playwright

Nigel Bottom (Teau Tongi) falls in love with Portia (Kaelyn Smith), he learns to write from his heart rather than writing the tacky, soulless “Omelette,” creating more issues for Nick.

Among stellar performances and unforgettable choreography, the show’s main achievement lies in an unexpected fact: the show managed to feel grand and massive albeit a smaller cast and one of the PPA’s more minimal sets in recent productions. I would attribute this to the infectious enthusiasm of every actor involved, as each and every one clearly contributes a great deal of their energy to the production. As the show neared the middle of the second act, everybody on stage was producing waterfalls of sweat, which proved to me how much energy and effort the actors were putting into their performances.

From the stellar performances to the heartwarming story, I believe this show was the kind that reminds you there’s “nothing more amazing than a musical.” has loved music since she can remember due to its ability to foster connections.

At Pinewood, she sings on the a cappella group, Take Note, and has been a part of several musicals and plays.

“Pinewood has allowed me to see so many different parts of music and explore things I never would’ve before,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn will be pursuing her passion at Sarah Lawrence College as a music major.

Adam Fallick

For Adam Fallick, who has been starring in plays since elementary school, theater has always come naturally. At Pinewood, he sings on Take Note and has been in several plays and musicals. Fallick will be pursuing his passion for performing at New York University Tisch School Of The Arts.

“I’m going into musical theater because I can’t see myself pursuing anything else,” he said. “It’s my one true passion and I feel the most myself when I’m doing it.”

Author Hannah Jones Talks Book “Hero Green” at Pinewood

ADDISON PARENTI Staff Writer

Writing isn’t an easy journey. It takes years, even decades, to learn and perfect the craft. No one knows this better than former Pinewood English teacher Hannah Jones, who is now the author of children’s book “Hero Green.”

On Apr. 24, Jones visited Pinewood to share her experience writing “Hero Green.” Additionally, several students were given the opportunity to be beta readers for the book.

“Hero Green” is about a young witch named Hero from a remote grove in Maine. When a developer from Manhattan threatens to destroy the grove, Hero moves to Manhattan to save it and experiences a new high school in the process.

Jones was inspired to become a writer because of the sensation she experiences when writing.

“One of my favorite feelings is to craft a sentence that combines the perfect cadence and melody and imagery to express a complicated, deep feeling or idea,” Jones said.

Because Jones often moved houses when she was younger, she spent a lot of time alone and found books as her escape from loneliness. Additionally, she grew up in a household of readers, writers, and storytellers, who supported and nurtured her love for words.

Jones said her biggest inspiration is her mom, who was her first educator. When her mother passed away, she lost motivation, but she recently regained it through a community of equally passionate readers and writers when she started a Substack newsletter, Letters from the Questhouse.

When writing “Hero Green,” Jones took inspiration from her childhood.

“I am more of a ‘gardener’ than an ‘architect,’ meaning that I let this book take shape organically, rather than plotting it out from the beginning,” Jones said.

The inspiration for “Hero Green” was drawn from her teenage years when rumors spread through her junior high school claiming that she was a witch. While Jones originally felt hurt by this, it led her to wonder what a witch is. Jones’ newfound interest in witchcraft inspired her to incorporate it into her book in order to create the character of Hero.

“My current life couldn’t be much different from Hero’s,” Jones said. “Her senses are stronger than ours because she has spent her life trained to listen deeply, to pay deep attention, to nature, and that makes her magical. I aspire to be like her in that respect.”