Portions of this review are based on a previous production.
The Broadway musical Something Rotten!, a rollicking, no-holds barred extravaganza, is playing at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, CT through February 4th. The show is fun, clever, and full of merriment.
It
is the end of the 16th century and William Shakespeare (Adam Pascal) has
achieved rock star status as the playwright everyone loves and wants to
emulate. Enter the Bottom brothers, Nick
(Rob McClure) and Nigel (Josh Grisetti), that write and produce their own plays
in the shadow of The Bard.
Unfortunately, they are in desperate need of a hit to keep their merry
band of actors together and placate their moneyed patron. Complicating matters is Nick’s desire to
make a better life for him and his wife Bea (Maggie Lakis) and Nigel’s love for
Portia (Autumn Hurlbert) the daughter of the holier-than-thou Puritan, Brother
Jeremiah (Scott Cote). In desperation,
Nick turns to a demented soothsayer (Blake Hammond) to help him divine the next
big thing in the theater. His simple
response of musicals sets in motion the wild, wacky and hugely entertaining
Something Rotten!
The
book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell is very funny, poking fun at
theater conventions and musicals of the past.
They have given their large and polished ensemble of performers robust
characters, not an easy feat with so many actors and actresses requiring stage
time. While the defining premise of the
show is rather offbeat, the two somehow make it work.
The
score by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick is a delight. Tuneful, zany and frenzied the songs are
delivered with a full-throttled gusto by the talented cast. From the raucous opening number, “Welcome to
the Renaissance,” to the bellyaching complaints of “God, I Hate Shakespeare,”
to the madcap production numbers “A Musical” and “We See the Light,” the songs
have a joyful assault on our auditory senses.
The
cast is led by Rob McClure, a Broadway veteran (starring roles in Chaplin and
Honeymoon in Vegas), as Nick Bottom. He is
uproariously funny, a superb dancer and singer.
The success of Something Rotten! depends on a superlative performance by
the misguided, resolute Bottom brother and McClure delivers with energy to
spare. Josh Grisetti, as his brother
Nigel, is hysterically excitable. It’s
great to see the triple threat actor in such a form-fitting role. Now, if someone can just write him an
original Broadway musical to star in. Adam
Pacal seems like he is having a lot of fun playing the boorish, calculating
Shakespeare. Maggie Lakis, popping up
intermittently, provides humorous stability.
Autumn Hurlbert shows real comic skills and pairs up perfectly with
Grisetti as the sweetest of sweethearts. Blake Hammond is rib-tickling hilarious and is
an audience favorite as he leads members cast in the Act I showstopper, “A
Musical.”
Director
and choreographer Casey Nicholaw takes full rein of the show, making it a
tightly run piece of musical theater. Nicholaw’s work is well-thought out
bringing forth superb performances by the skillful group of thespians. As choreographer his high-octane dance
numbers bring down the house.
The
scenic design by Scott Pask can be whimsical; the costumes by Gregg Barnes are
colorful with a slightly off-kilter take on renaissance garb.
Something
Rotten!, a boisterous and jaunty ride not to be missed, playing through February 4th.
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