The Festival Announces the Cast of Something Rotten!

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast of this season’s musical comedy, Something Rotten! Hilariously connected to the world of Shakespeare, the story follows two brothers who are determined to outshine the Bard by inventing the first musical. Directed by Alan Muraoka, known for his longtime work on Sesame Street, this delightful musical is a shout out to theatre, filled with lots of heart and romance.

“I am so excited to share the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s premiere of Something Rotten! with our audiences of all ages!” says Muraoka. “This show is a love letter to both Shakespeare and Broadway musicals, with wonderful songs, antic comedy, and big, splashy production numbers. And those who are familiar with the works of Shakespeare will get the clever nods to many of his famous works. But even if you aren’t familiar with these works, you’ll still have a toe-tapping good time. And (spoiler alert) there will be tap dancing eggs!” 

Lead artistic staff who are collaborating with Muraoka are Music Director Jeremy Mann, Choreographer Alli Betsill, Conductor Brad Carroll, Scenic Designer Jo Winiarski, Costume Designer Tracy Christensen, Lighting Designer Tom Mays, Sound Designer Joe Payne, Track Creator Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Steven Eng, Fight Director/Intimacy Coordinator Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Tanya J. Searle.

The cast for Something Rotten! includes both new and returning actors and is as follows:

Zac Barnaby returns to the Festival for his third season, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! He was previously in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Winter’s Tale, and The Greenshow. He is currently a musical theatre student pursuing a BFA at Southern Utah University, and has performed in Falsettos; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; and Ride the Cyclone. 

Ilana DeAngelo debuts at the Festival as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She has performed at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare Schools and Parks Tour, and Little Theatre of the Rockies. She earned a BA in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado and a classical acting degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Ali Ewoldt makes her main stage debut as Portia in Something Rotten! She previously performed as Mei in the Festival’s 2021 world premier of the musical Gold Mountain at West Valley Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. Broadway credits include Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and Cosette in Les Misérables. She has also performed Off-Broadway and regionally, specifically at Pioneer Theatre Company, Sacramento Music Circus, the Muny, and Goodspeed, among others. She has appeared on The Michael J. Fox Show and in the short films Yield, Mia, and The Cactus. Other performing credits include with the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, with the Houston Symphony, and with Kaohsiung Symphony and the Boston Pops. She earned a BA in psychology from Yale University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. 

Brian Gonzales debuts at the Festival as Nostradamus in Something Rotten! His Broadway credits include Mister Saturday Night, Aladdin, Shrek The Musical, and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has also performed at the Fulton, Dallas Theater Center, and 5th Avenue Theater, among others. His television credits include Elementary and Law & Order, and he is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Henry Hawes makes his first appearance at the Festival as Ensemble in Something Rotten! He has also performed at Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Manoa Valley Theatre, Creede Repertory Theatre, and American Stage Theatre Company. He has a BA in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado.

Clara Hevia is new to the Festival, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She performed in the national tour of Cats, and at Umbrella Stage, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, and Lyric Stage Company of Boston/Lyric Back Stage, among others. She received her BM in vocal performance/musical theater from NYU Steinhardt. 

Luke Sidney Johnson returns for his ninth season, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! Last season he was in The Importance of Being Earnest and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and other favorite Festival roles include Younger Brother in Ragtime, Simeon in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and King of France in King Lear. He has also performed at Pioneer Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Playmill Theatre. He earned a BFA in musical theater from Southern Utah University. 

Matt Koenig returns as Nick Bottom in Something Rotten! Previously he was in the Festival’s productions of Clue, The Comedy of Errors, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and Twelfth Night. He has performed at Cleveland Play House, Pioneer Theatre Company, PCPA, and Oregon Cabaret Theater, among many others. He can be seen in The Chosen and Alien Abductions, as well as the films California King and Homestead. He is the head of the BFA program in acting at Baldwin Wallace University, has an MFA from UC Irvine, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Colden Lamb appears as Ensemble in Something Rotten! in his first appearance at the Festival. He has also worked at San Diego Musical Theater, PCPA, and Sierra Rep, among other theatres. He has also worked with youth, teaching at SDMT Academy, Moonlight Youth Theater, and Saint Augustine High School. He earned a BA from San Diego State University. 

André Love returns to the Festival as Ensemble/Minstrel in Something Rotten! He was previously seen in Sweeney Todd, Big River, Ragtime, Clue, and The Greenshow, among others. Other places he’s performed are Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center, and Suncoast Broadway. He attended Otterbein University and is a member of Uzima African Dance Troupe.

Sophia Lynn is new to the Festival, and will perform as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She has also worked at the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival, New Perspectives Theatre Company, and One Hundred Acre Wood Theatre. Other credits include productions for the Ultimate Bublė Experience in Times Square and the North Pole Express-NYC with TopView Entertainment. She has also been involved with industry workshops for Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol National Tour, Frozen at Paper Mill Playhouse, and Matilda at Flatrock Playhouse. She was trained at the Institute for American Musical Theatre (IAMT). 

Chris Mixon returns for his 14th season, as Brother Jeremiah in Something Rotten! He favored audiences last season with his performances in Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and As You Like It. Other Festival productions include The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Book of Will, and The Foreigner. He also performed in the national Broadway tour of How to Succeed…Trying, as well as eight seasons at Off-Broadway’s Pearl Theatre Company. Mixon has also worked at the Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, among many others. He has been on All My Children, Law & Order, and in The Rosa Parks Story, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Ash Moran debuts at the Festival, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! Other roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Maureen in Rent, Queen of Heart in Alice By Heart, and Annie in The Play That Goes Wrong, among others. Moran is a two-time winner of the Michigan Regional Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, and earned a BFA in musical theatre from Oakland University.

Pascal Pastrana makes his Festival debut as Shakespeare in Something Rotten! His work on Broadway includes The Great Gatsby, A Beautiful Noise, and Mean Girls; his Off-Broadway credits include Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and Rock and Roll Debauchery. He has also worked at Paper Mill Playhouse, Theater Raleigh, the Muny, Syracuse Stage, and Colonial Theater. HIs screen credits include the Netflix show Uncoupled and the films Silk and Eighty-Sixed. He earned his BFA in musical theatre and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. 

Jackson Poulin is new to the Festival and is Ensemble in Something Rotten! He performed in the first National Tour of Miracle on 34th Street, and has done work on Off-off-Broadway as well as regionally at Tibbits Opera House and Syracuse Stage. He has teaching/directing credits at Northwestern University NHSi and Clarkstown Theatre Company, and holds a BFA from Syracuse University.

Jason Rexx is debuting as Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten! He has also performed as Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along at Vintage Theatre, Shakespeare in Something Rotten! at StageDoor Theatre, Joseph in Joseph…Dreamcoat at Performance Now Theatre Company, and other productions at the Denver Center, Arvada Center, and Town Hall Arts Center. He holds a double BA in vocal music education and psychology from Concordia College-Moorhead, and a MS in educational leadership from Western Governors University. 

Meggie Siegrist debuts as Bea in Something Rotten! She has also performed at Phoenix Theatre Company, San Luis Obispo Rep, over a dozen productions at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and five years at the Palace Theatre in the Dells. She holds a BFA from the University of the Arts. 

Heidi Carann Snider is new to the Festival, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She has performed at Lone Tree Arts Center, Creede Repertory Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, and Town Hall Arts Center. She earned a BFA in musical theatre from Colorado Mesa University.

Emily Song Tyler returns as Ensemble in Something Rotten! after previously understudying for the Festival’s 2021 world premier of the musical Gold Mountain at West Valley Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. She also worked at Signature Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Cygnet Theatre. Her screen credits include the film Paw Patrol Live at Home and the HBO show That Damn Michael Che. She received training at the American Musical Dramatic Academy.

The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Something Rotten! plays in rotation with See How They Run and She Loves Me in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Don’t miss these outstanding productions, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).