A Visit to the English Theatre in Frankfurt: “Something Rotten!”

by Helen Griwenka and Samy Viererbe

Last week, our English advanced course visited the English Theatre in Frankfurt to watch the musical Something Rotten!. It was a special experience because we were able to experience English language and culture outside the classroom.

We met at 8 a.m. at the train station in Bad Camberg and travelled together by train to Frankfurt. The atmosphere was relaxed, and everyone was looking forward to the day. After arriving in Frankfurt, we had some free time in which we could walk around the city, buy something to eat, or go shopping. This gave us the opportunity to enjoy the city before the performance started. At 12:00 p.m., the musical began.

 The musical

“Something Rotten!” is a comedy musical set in the Renaissance. The story is about two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, who want to become successful playwrights. However, they live in a time when William Shakespeare is extremely popular and admired by everyone. In the musical, Shakespeare is shown as confident and very famous, almost like a modern celebrity.

Nick becomes jealous of Shakespeare’s success and wants to create something completely new. He asks a soothsayer for advice who tells him that the future of theatre will include singing, dancing, and acting at the same time – in other words, musicals. The brothers then try to write the world’s first musical. This leads to many funny and chaotic situations, misunderstandings, and personal conflicts.

The musical mixes historical elements with modern humour and many references to other well-known musicals. It deals with themes such as ambition, rivalry, creativity, and the desire for success. Without revealing too much about the ending, the story develops in an entertaining way and keeps the audience curious about how everything will turn out.

English at its best

Overall, the visit to the English Theatre was a very enjoyable experience. The actors performed convincingly, and the music and humour made the play lively and entertaining. It was a great opportunity to improve our understanding of English in a different and more practical way.

Our personal impressions

In addition to the overall positive experience, some students from our course shared their personal impressions of the musical.

Noah said that he enjoyed the musical a lot. In his opinion, the acting was amazing and had the perfect amount of exaggeration. He also thought that the comedic timing and the jokes worked very well. Noah said: “I liked the modern pop-culture references and the use of modern language, because it made me feel closer to the action.” He also found the story very interesting, since modern themes were addressed in a serious but still entertaining way, which fit very well with the Renaissance setting.

Yasmina also enjoyed the musical very much. She said: “It was very funny and that the storyline took an unexpected turn. In addition, the stage design was beautiful and helped to strengthen the atmosphere and the overall feeling of the musical.”

Samia mentioned that what stood out the most to her was the empowering role that women played in the plot. She found it interesting how female characters were portrayed as strong and independent within the story.

Overall, the different opinions showed that the musical impressed many students in different ways and made the theatre visit a memorable experience for everyone.

(text: Helen Griwenka and Samy Viererbe; photos: Verena Felkl)

“Something Rotten”: An Entertaining Comedy

by Victoria Wenz and Elena Wehlus

the English advanced courses of grade 12 took a school trip to the English Theatre in Frankfurt with their teachers, Ms. Galeano and Ms. Felkl, to see the musical “Something Rotten.”

Since there was still some time before the performance began, the students were allowed to walk around and explore Frankfurt in small groups or visit one of the nearby cafés.

At 12:30 p.m., everyone had to meet back at the theatre for the start of the show at 1 p.m. While the teachers got the tickets, the students waited to be admitted along with multiple classes from other schools.

Actors greeted the audience in costumes

The auditorium where the musical was performed was very elegantly furnished with classic red cushioned seats and, even though it wasn’t too large, it was big enough to accommodate all of the many guests. Some of the actors greeted the audience in their costumes and respective roles, which made the whole atmosphere very pleasant.

The musical is set in the Renaissance period, when the plague was ravaging England and William Shakespeare was at the height of his fame. The storyline was about two brothers who wanted to create a play that was better and different from the Shakespearean dramas of the time, which ultimately led them to write a musical on the recommendation of a fortune teller, since that was apparently what audiences would want to see in the future.

An entertaining comedy

As it was a comedy, there were lots of jokes and puns in the show, and it was very entertaining. The English was also easy enough for most of the students to understand, and it was clear that the actors were passionate about their profession and the play. It was split into two acts — the first lasting 65 minutes and the second 55 minutes, with an intermission of about 20 minutes in between.

After the show ended at around 3:25 p.m., the two advanced courses took a group picture in front of the building. Afterwards, the students were allowed to spend the rest of the day in the city as they pleased, although some returned to Bad Camberg with the teachers on the next train.

Overall, the trip was a nice change from the normal school routine, and the musical was very entertaining with a great acting performance.

(text: Victoria Wenz and Elena Wehlus, photos: Verena Felkl)