It’s the omnipresent shadow they can’t escape, no matter how hard they try. William Shakespeare, the Bard. He’s quoted by everyone everywhere. You try writing a play — or a musical, for that matter — during the Renaissance and have it be heard and seen beyond the rock-star static Shakespeare creates. The Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, attempt to do just that in the hilarious musical Something Rotten, which opens a 15-performance run Oct. 4 at Cottage Theatre in Cottage Grove. Set in the 1590s, Nick and Nigel encounter a local soothsayer who foretells that the future of theater involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, so the brothers set out to create the world’s first musical and their big breakthrough. What follows is a madcap comedy that garnered Something Rotten several Tony Award nominations after the musical’s debut in 2015. At Cottage Theatre, look for Dylan Bunten (Nick Bottom), Matthew Michaels (Nigel Bottom), Tracy Brous (Bea) and Kenady Conforth (Portia) as well as Marc Siegel (Nostradamus) and Kory Weimer (Shakespeare). 

Something Rotten opens Oct. 4 and runs through Oct. 27 at Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove. Weeknight and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm while Sunday matinees are at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $15 to $29 at CottageTheatre.org.