Performer: Rob McClure

Production: Something Rotten!

Role: Nick Bottom

What is something you want audiences to know about the production or the tour?

I think a lot of people think you need to be a fan of Shakespeare and musicals to enjoy it, and we’re finding more and more that that’s not true. People who hate musicals and hate Shakespeare are loving this show! There are wives who are loving musicals and Shakespeare who dragged their husbands to it against their will, and then the husbands find themselves dying of laughter. Luckily, I think, at the core of this show is a really great story. It’s really funny, so the references are a bonus, but I don’t think it’s required to be able to enjoy it.

Can you talk about your costumes and trying to tap dance in these clothes?

We are wearing Gregg Barnes’ original costume designs. They got him a Tony nomination, and they’re all made of the real stuff they would have been made of then. So it’s real leather, real suede. They’re heavy and hot, and the details are remarkable! Gregg’s really great at mixing fabrics. He’s got such an incredible eye. He was building our show while he was building Aladdin, so he’s remarkable. Tapping, it was actually interesting, we had to go get those custom boots made for each of us. You get two pairs of each type of boot because one has a tap and one doesn’t. We had to go in an stand on this piece of paper and they trace your foot with a sharpie. And then they measure every three inches up your leg and then they use custom leather.

Oh wow! Did you know how to tap before the show?

A little bit! I was lucky in that I’ve been doing this for 20 years now. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it’s true. I did it in the beginning. A lot of our ensemble people have been dancing since they were like four, and they are extraordinary, and better than I will ever be! But I was lucky in that I’ve had a lot of choreographers who’ve had faith in my abilities, and they would give me a little bit. And then each show I would learn a little more and a little more, and 20 years, later, you can tap dance! But I owe a lot of really great choreographers.