Susan Granger’s review of “Something Rotten!” (St. James Theatre: April, 2015)
If you’re starved for a sophisticated, light-hearted farce, run – don’t walk – to buy tickets for this delightful, very new musical comedy.
In London in 1595, during the Elizabethan era, the Bottom brothers, ambitious Nick (Brian d’Arcy James) and neurotic Nigel (John Cariani), are desperately trying to write a hit play. Problem is: they’re stuck in the shadow on that prolific Renaissance impresario, a fellow named William Shakespeare (Christian Borle).
When Nick consults soothsayer Thomas Nostradamus (Brad Oscar), nephew of the legendary prophesier, he’s told that the future of the theater involves singing and dancing. So, despite the jeers of their cohorts, the Bottom brothers set out to write the world’s first ‘musical,’ receiving backing from Jewish moneylender, Shylock (Gerry Vichi).
Songwriter/musician brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick originally conceived of the idea of a silly backstage Shakespearean musical, shamelessly combining highbrow and lowbrow humor, not unlike Monty Python’s “Spamalot.”
Then along came British screenwriter John O’Farrell who shaped it into a rambunctious parody, complete with a pair of star-crossed lovers and a feminist woman-disguised-as-a-man, along with garbled lines from “Hamlet,” Romeo and Juliet,” and “Richard II.”
Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”) added his own exuberantly irreverent pizazz, including the show-stopping production number, simply called “A Musical,” parodying almost every Broadway musical in recent memory – from the floor-scrubbing orphans in “Annie” to “Cats” to the high-kicking Radio City Rockettes.
Brian d’Arcy James (“Shrek”) struts his song-and-dance shtick, while Christopher Borle (“Peter and the Starcatcher”) plays the Bard as an impishly slippery, scheming rock star, rollicking to “Will Power” with an overstuffed codpiece.
Completing the stalwart supporting cast are Kate Reinders, Heidi Blickenstaff, Brooks Ashmanskas, Peter Bartlett, and Michael James Scott, as the ubiquitous, lute-strumming minstrel.
Credit for the superb production design goes to Scott Pask (scenic), Gregg Barnes (costumes), Jeff Crolter (lighting), Peter Hylenski (sound), Phil Reno (music direction/vocal arrangements) and Larry Hochman (orchestrations).
FYI: Several Shakespearean plays have been made into musicals, among them “Kiss Me Kate,” “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” “Lone Star Love,” “These Papar Bullets” and “Play On!” This show’s title is from “Hamlet” – “Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark…”
Laughter reigns: “Something Rotten!” is the freshest, funniest show on Broadway.