Did 'History of the World 2' steal from Broadway?

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What to know

• Musical writers smells “Something Rotten” with History of the World Part II scene… If you checked out the new trailer for Mel Brooks and Hulu’s History of the World Part II, you might have caught a scene in which people in Shakespeare times invent musical theater. It’s a bit of a minor gag in the trailer, but John O’Farrell, who wrote the book for Broadway’s Something Rotten!, is raising a red flag. You see, Something Rotten! is about people in Shakespeare times inventing musical theater. Parallel ideas happen, but O’Farrell believes it unlikely the people who made this new series would be unaware of his Tony-winning musical. And yeah, when you watch the clips side-by-side it’s pretty damning. My guess is that this alleged theft was made unconsciously, and hope that Josh Gad (who plays Shakespeare in the sketch) or someone from the show acknowledges O’Farrell and Something Rotten! 🎭

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