Review: Something Rotten!, at the Opera House, Manchester

Welcome to the Renaissance! 

Along with many a musical theatre fan, I have been waiting for Something Rotten to make its way to the United Kingdom's shores. We had a planned production in the early 2020s, set to play in Birmingham, which then got cancelled. We then had a one night concert production, featuring much of the same cast, playing in London almost two years ago. 

Now, we finally finally have the fully staged UK premiere, and, to keep up with the marketing, Manchester gets it first, following the successes of & Juliet, Mrs Doubtfire (which oddly enough has the same writing team as Something Rotten), 13 Going on 30 (which is playing in Canada) and more. 

Personally, I remember, when the show came out in 2015, listening to the cast album a lot, patiently waiting until I could see the show live. Eleven years later, that time has come, and is one of the biggest openings of the year in Manchester. 

So, did it live up to the hype?

If you have never heard of Something Rotten before, let me fill you in - set in 1590s London, at the height of William Shakespeare's career, we follow two writers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, who have their own struggling acting troupe. In an effort to pay the bills, and to support wife Bea and his little brother, and desperate to have a hit that will outshine Shakespeare, Nick pays a rather dodgy soothsayer to foretell him the future of theatre - which of course are Musicals! 

So, with this new information, as well as a very entertaining mis-interpretation of what Shakespeare's next big hit will be, Nick enlists his brother's help to create the very first musical. 

With a concept as silly as this, it is no surprise to say that Something Rotten is one of the funniest shows of the year. Book writer John O'Farrell co-wrote both Chicken Run films, and his book is full of British humour. Whether this has been added in for the UK premiere is unclear, but there is something about it which reminds you of classic British sitcoms, as well as Monty Python. 

Something Rotten is also a love letter to musical theatre, and shows its love in the best way possible - by taking the complete piss out of it

A Musical, the number shared by Nick and Nostradamus, is choc-full of references both musically and in its staging to some of the most well known musicals: some of which are more subtle than others. There are going to be at least a few that even a non-musical theatre fan would recognise and laugh with the audience and performers. There are also a few more, in the second act, which provide more unexpected laughs. 

The other half of the laughs though, of course, comes from this very comedic troupe of actors, lead by Jason Manford (Robin Hood). This is a part which is right up his street, and you can tell he is having the time of his life. However, the ones that shine for me are the supporting cast. 

Shakespeare in this show is portrayed as a fame-loving, plagiarising, vain hunk of a ponce. And he steals the show in every scene he is in. Richard Fleeshman (Company) does an incredible job, getting to show off to the max, growling and belting through his songs, and gesticulating his codpiece like a rockstar. 

Cory English (The Producers) plays Nostradamus the Soothsayer (not that one, his relation), and he is absolutely hysterical, especially in any chance he gets to rip off/mis-quote yet another musical. Doubtfire alumnus Carla Dixon-Hernandez is so sweet as Portia, and I love the adorable chemistry she has with Cassius Hackforth as Nigel, with them bonding over their love of poetry. 

A special mention though has to go to Marisha Wallace (Guys and Dolls) as Nick's wife Bea. Wallace owes much of her career to Something Rotten - she was part of the original Broadway cast, in the ensemble and cover Bea. And it was original director, Casey Nicholaw, who offered her, when she was in Something Rotten, the chance for her to go to London and star in Dreamgirls. And the rest is history. So her playing Bea feels right and is a fabulous full circle moment. Even more special is that she has been able to keep one of her ensemble riffs. Bea is a very sassy character, a characteristic that Wallace has in spades, and like Manford, you could tell she was enjoying herself so much on stage, as a modern woman stuck in the wrong century, frustrated with the men around her. 

 However, I do need to bring up one big flaw for me

I was warned about this on the 'gram, and had really prayed it wasn't true. But sadly, I need to talk about some of the props, because it looks obvious to me that AI is involved. I feel like the debate of AI in the arts as a whole is a topic for another day, but the short version in the case of its use in Something Rotten in that it cheapened it for me. 

There were, in particular, some banners used (not telling you where) which you could tell straight away  were created with those kind of programmes. It cheapened the production for me, and left a sad sour taste in my mouth. It's especially a shame because the set itself is so layered and textured when the curtain first lifts. 

It may seem small, but it is something that should be called out - AI should not be used in lieu of natural human talent. 

Something Rotten is truly a show fans and non-musical theatre fans I think will enjoy

Especially if you are a fan of shows such as Avenue Q, Spamalot, The Producers and The Book of Mormon.

I appreciate it if that last point gave you a bit of a sour taste, and if that puts you off, I completely understand. However, I still think Something Rotten is worth keeping an eye on, especially as the rumour is that a West End run is in the cards. 

Hopefully they'll have sorted out the "situation" by then. 

Because it is a joy to have this incredibly funny show in the UK - Your Star-lit, Won't Quit, Big Hit, Musical!