The Artwork of Something Rotten! on Broadway

[Sutton’s Foster Child]

Posted: 7/22/21 at 12:20pm

Does anyone know the name of the artist who drew the artwork of the original Broadway production of Something Rotten!? The one with the characters on stage in front of an angry audience.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/22/21 at 12:45pm

Pretty sure it was Jack Davis, the great parodist of Mad Magazine fame.

[thommg]

Posted: 7/22/21 at 2:35pm

I found a NY Times article about the ad done after their Tony loss. It identifies the illustrator as with Peter de Sève (whose drawings depicting the show’s sheepish stars grinning under its tomato-splattered logo have anchored the irreverent marketing campaign). 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/22/21 at 2:59pm

^ well done! 

Mr. de Sève did a great job imitating Jack Davis's style.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/22/21 at 4:53pm

Here's his tweet about it: https://twitter.com/peterdeseve/status/556454652754284545?lang=en

My dad is a now-retired illustrator and admirer of Jack Davis! I thought it was similar to his style, but the feet didn't look right. Davis' style of drawing shoes and feet was almost always immediately identifiable. (My dad raised me on back issues of Mad.)

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/22/21 at 5:38pm

LizzieCurry said: "Here's his tweet about it:https://twitter.com/peterdeseve/status/556454652754284545?lang=en

My dad is a now-retired illustrator and admirer of Jack Davis! I thought it was similar to his style, but the feet didn't look right. Davis' style of drawing shoes and feet was almost always immediately identifiable. (My dad raised me on back issues of Mad.)"

The great Jack Davis! I loved his work. The way he drew feet in shoes (especially the men) made them look like loaves of bread to me as a kid. 

He illustrated the poster for the original Bad News Bears in 76 with Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal