Actor Adam Pascal having lots of ‘Rotten’ fun on tour

In 1590s London, there’s one playwright who rules them all.

His name is Shakespeare. And the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, are more than a little peeved about that. They’re downright green with envy. Desperate for a hit play, one of the brothers seeks advice from a soothsayer named Nostradamus. (No, not that one. A distant cousin.)

His suggestion? The Bottoms should create a whole new genre of theater.

A musical.

A musical about eggs.

Needless to say, things don’t go as planned. There are communication mishaps, duplicity, arguments, general chaos and singing. Lots of singing.

All this is wrapped up in “Something Rotten,” the Broadway musical comedy now on its first national tour. The show lands in Spokane on Tuesday, bringing with it an accomplished cast.

Rob McClure, a Tony nominee for in his first starring role in “Chaplin,” is playing Nick Bottom. Nigel Bottom is played by Josh Grisetti, an award-winner for his off-Broadway performance in the 2008-09 run of “Enter Laughing.” And playing “the Bard” is Adam Pascal, a Tony nominee who was Roger Davis in the original Broadway run of “Rent,” and who returned to the role for the West End production in London, for the 2009 national tour and for the 2005 film adaptation.

All three were among the cast when “Something Rotten” closed on Broadway on Jan. 1 of this year after 742 performances.

For Pascal, the chance to play the greatest playwright ever was too big an opportunity to pass up.

“I love the show, and I love the part, and the opportunity to play in a comedy, especially one that is so good and connects, and has such mass appeal, that’s a rare opportunity, especially for me,” said Pascal by phone from Seattle, where “Something Rotten” was in the midst of a three-week run. “A lot of people know me for more dramatic musical work, and I really jump at the opportunities to do things that people may not have seen me do before. It sort of no-brainer for me.”

To be clear, Shakespeare is no stuffed shirt in “Something Rotten.” He’s not an ink-stained wretch either. He is a rock star. And, as Pascal notes, he’s a rock star cut from the same cloth as Monty Python, or Stewie Griffin from “Family Guy.”

“There’s even a little Tim Curry in there, from ‘Rocky Horror,’ ” Pascal added.

Producer Kevin McCollum said the quality of the material made it easy to attract top talent like Pascal to the show. “You know they’re doing it because they love this material,” he said. “It’s a high-quality touring production.”

The show was created Karey Kirkpatrick, a screenwriter and film director ( “James and the Giant Peach,” “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe,”), his brother Wayne Kirkpatrick, a songwriter for artists such as Amy Grant, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton, and author/script writer John O’Farrell (“The Man Who Forgot His Wife,”). None of them had written a musical before. Their first one would earn 10 Tony nominations and one win for Christain Borels’ performance as Shakespeare.

“I want to get new voices to Broadway,” said McCollum, a veteran producer with a long history of bringing new voices to Broadway. Among his credits are three Tony-winning musicals by up-and-coming writers: “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakthrough show, “In the Heights.” One thing they all have in common, and this goes for “Something Rotten” as well, is that they’re all about finding family, he said.

It’s also funny.

“It’s a good family show,” McCollum said. “If you know musicals, you will be delighted on every level. It’s a romp, and it’s really smartly crafted.”