I admit to being pleasantly surprised by Something Rotten. It sounded so sophomoric, and since I’m in the select minority of people who loathed The Book of Mormon,I wasn’t wild about seeing another production involving choreographer/co-director Casey Nicholaw. And while I could have done without the excrement jokes, the oft-repeated codpiece yuks, and the faux peeing on stage, this was nowhere near as cheesy as I’d feared. It is, however, much too long, and the with the exception of a rousing production number, the second act falls flat.
What really saves the night is an excellent cast of theater vets, led by the stellar Brian d’Arcy James. He plays a down-at-the-heels playwright unfortunately named Nick Bottom. South London in 1595 is all a-twitter over Will Shakespeare (a suitably preening Christian Borle). Nick and his nebbish poet brother Nigel (John Cariani) just can’t catch a break until Nick gives all his money to one Nostradamus- Thomas, not Michel- who will peer into the future to see what Shakespeare will come up with next. This is where much of the fun begins, with the supremely over-the-top Brad Oscar boldly stealing the show like a jewel thief on crack.
His big number, “A Musical,” gets not only thunderous applause, but also a brief encore. Proceedings actually have to stop while the audience claps and cheers. Like a manically condensed Forbidden Broadway, the song mocks nearly every musical it can cram in, including Annie, Sweet Charity, Rent, Chorus Line, Pippin- and the list goes on. Woe to anyone not in on the joke; it’s the centerpiece of the production.
Turns out that Nostradamus is just a little off on his prediction. He tells Nick that Shakespeare’s greatest hit will be called “Omelette;” with Danish and ham, maybe? Meanwhile, Nick’s wife, Bea, played with real comedy chops by Heidi Blickenstaff, has disguised herself as a man, the better to help bring home the bacon (not Francis). Nigel falls for Portia, the daughter of a ranting Puritan (Brooks Ashmanskas). Kate Reinders does a suitable job as the ingénue, but a simple thing like an auburn or brunette wig would have eased the jolt of her seeming to be Kristin Chenoweth light.
Some jokes go a little too far for comfort. Aren’t we done with the prancing closet gay? A little “Shylock the Jew” humor goes a long way. Not sure we’re up to hearing about Nazis being nice guys, even in jest. It must be said, however, that there’s a jocular Monty Python element to the rollicking number about the Black Death. There’s a kind of 60’s “Hullabaloo” quality to much of the dancing. Bea, dressed as a man, saving her husband from being condemned to death is a little on the nose for a piece that depends on Shakespeare stealing all his best material, though Borle successfully plays his role to the hilt and beyond. I suspect the cast will break up on stage less and less as the run continues, but the audience seemed to enjoy seeing them do it. This is the kind of show for which “laff riot,” “romp,” and “run, don’t walk to get tickets” would seem to have been coined. All thing considered and judging from audience reaction, I think that Something Rotten is “a hit, a very palpable hit.”
