Anything but Rotten

Something Rotten! sends a love letter to Broadway musicals and Shakespeare

Cast of the Something Rotten! National Tour

Something Rotten! runs June 6 through 11 at the Hobby Center.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

If your cheeks are sore when you exit the Hobby Center this week, Blake Hammond and his Something Rotten! castmates have done their job.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world that’s kind of depressing,” says Hammond. “It’s nice to take a little time for yourself and find things that make you laugh, because laughter really is the best medicine.”

Hammond, a Fort Worth native and University of Texas theater graduate, plays soothsayer Nostradamus in the comical production that is part of the BBVA Compass Broadway at the Hobby Center touring series. Set in 1595, it tells the story of two brothers wanting to create a hit play to rival Shakespeare’s success. Nostradamus turns Nick and Nigel Bottom on to the idea of creating the world’s very first musical.

Hammond describes the show as a love letter to Broadway musicals and Shakespeare, with a modern spin. “If you love theater you will love this. It’s so much fun,” he says.

His big moment comes in the first act when he commands an eight-and-a-half-minute number with references to and snippets from some of Broadway’s most beloved musicals. “It’s probably my favorite number I’ve done in my career and really, truly brings the house down. It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to step out there and make that happen.”

The touring production takes Hammond to Texas for four weeks, with stops in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. He says he’s looking forward to visiting with family and having them in the audience. “Coming to Texas is really sweet for me. I played Austin on my first tour, which was in the late '80s with Jesus Christ Superstar, but I haven’t been back to Austin since with a tour," he says,

Hammond says Something Rotten!’s clever one-liners, non sequiturs, and talented cast make it a hilarious must-see show.

“When people walk out of the theater they tell us over and over that their cheeks hurt from laughing. It’s great to hear that they’ve been smiling so much for two-and-a-half hours," he says. "I love it.”

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Something Rotten! plays at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts June 6 - 11.

theater

shop local

New list names Texas shop one of the best indie bookstores in America

Deep Vellum Books, independent bookstores in Dallas

Deep Vellum Books/Facebook

Reading is all the rage in 2026.

Dallas' Deep Vellum Bookstore is claiming new bragging rights as one of the 20 best independent bookstores in America, according to a new guide from Condé Nast Traveler. Sadly, Houston's iconic Brazos Bookstore was snubbed.

The list was published in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day on April 25 — but every day can be Indie Bookstore Day when you're supporting your local shop rather than a national chain like Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Indie bookstores and physical media have been having a much needed renaissance in today's digital (and AI slop-filled) era. More than 400 new bookshops opened in 2025 alone, the American Booksellers Association reported, and local bookstores are welcome third spaces for many literature loving individuals.

Deep Vellum won the title as the best indie bookstore in the Lone Star State, outshining several other popular Texas booksellers. Located at 3000 Commerce St. in Dallas' Deep Ellum neighborhood, Condé Nast said the bookshop serves as "one of the country’s premier translators of contemporary global literature."

"As esoteric as its collection may seem, the bookstore itself makes exploration approachable," wrote editorial assistant Kat Chen. "Crack into a can of craft beer, gaze at the wall plastered with polaroids of smiling patrons, and tuck into an engrossing read on one of the tweed armchairs."

Deep Vellum was founded by Will Evans in 2013 as a community-focused literary arts center and nonprofit publishing house for diverse international literature, as well as local Dallas writers. The bookstore soon followed in 2015, and operations have now expanded to five publishing imprints that produce half English-original works and half international literature.

This mighty bookshop and publishing house has long proved its staying power even after its federal funding was axed last year. In early April, the organization revealed it would launch its inaugural Deep Vellum Music and Literature Festival from July 10-12, 2026.

"Through literary readings, author panels, spoken word, live music performances, and community activations this festival will bring voices from across Texas and around the world," a press release said.

Until then, Condé Nast provided some recommended reading for Texas bibliophiles that want to check out some (new-to-you) literary and psychological fiction: Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila (translated by Roland Glasser) and Miss MacIntosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young.

dallas indie bookstore deep ellum bookstores conde nast traveler