JADAR

★★★★★

Broadway smash-hit Something Rotten! has finally had its UK premiere, right here in Manchester, following a couple of West End concerts a few years ago, with Jason Manford, Richard Fleeshman and Marisha Wallace (the latter of whom starred in the original Broadway cast) returning to their roles. The meta musical follows the fictional Bottom brothers who try to make a name for themselves whilst living in the shadow of Shakespeare – so they invent the world’s first musical!

Conceived by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick – and written by the former and John O’Farrell, with music and lyrics by the Kirkpatrick brothers – Something Rotten! is a parody of and tribute to both William Shakespeare and musical theatre. It contrasts two competing art forms and boldly blends (or father smashes) them together, and it works. We Mancunians knew it would work because we birthed the worldwide smash hit & Juliet, a radical retelling of Romeo and Juliet in which Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, insert themselves into the narrative. However, Something Rotten! did musical Shakespeare first – it’s just taken over a decade to come to the UK, and Manchester Opera House once again gets it first.

The comedy is camp, slapstick, and at times tasteless – and I laughed along at all of it. Whilst I’m no fan of pantomimes, the crass humour worked so well in this musical. There is plenty of adult humour; Gabriel Clark (who recently starred in Tip Toe) were killing ourselves over all the “Bottom” jokes but we were surrounded by innocent heteros who seemed clueless. The show is unafraid to throw in references which only certain people are going to get. If you’re not familiar with Shakespeare, some of the references will go over your head, and if you don’t see many musicals, you might miss some of the Easter eggs (and if you’re straight… I’m sorry).

Wayne Fitzpatrick is best-known for writing songs in various genres for major artists. His versatility comes through in this musical, with each song having its own sound but working in tandem with the rest of the score. Whilst most new musicals tend to produce no more than a couple of memorable songs, almost every single song in this show is a banger – and it’s refreshing that it does not feel the need to throw in a boring ballad to be taken more seriously. This show does not want to be taken seriously – but it still has lots of heart, especially because the characters are so loveable (and desperate).

Colin Richmond’s Tudor-inspired set is a feast for the eyes. Whilst the bulk of it is static, loads of set pieces are wheeled on and off. Combined with Rebecca Brower’s costumes (which put a musical theatre-inspired, camp, contemporary spin on Elizabethan fashion) and Howard Hudson’s lighting (which effortlessly goes from intimate and homely to dark and gloomy to colourful and sunny), it’s a real sensory overload. This production does not want its audience to rest; it’s a real rollercoaster, much like a Shakespearean comedy.

Jason Manford, who might as well move into the Opera House at this point, gives his best performance to date. He is so loveable – and better, relatable – as the down-on-his-luck Nick Bottom. But the writers are unafraid to give him some slightly negative qualities, such as him being a little dismissive and patronising towards his brother and wife. Jason has come a long way vocally since I saw him in Curtains at the Palace Theatre way back, so it is no surprise that he is cementing himself as one of the country’s leading musical theatre performers.

Marisha Wallace, who we recently interviewed, plays Nick’s wife, Bea Bottom. As aforementioned, she starred in the original Broadway cast. Whilst she was in the ensemble, she memorably portrayed “Eggie White”, who sings “And I am telling you, I’m not gonna be an omelette,” but left the production with two days notice to play the real Effie White in Dreamgirls on the West End – which allowed her to become one of the leading ladies of the West End. So, this role is full circle for Marisha, and she absolutely kills it, right from her first scene, in which she sings ‘Right Hand Man’ (if your ears were deafened by someone screaming at the end of the song – it was Gabriel!).

Everybody knows that Marisha is a powerful vocalist but who knew she was so funny – is there anything she can’t do?!

Whilst the character is refreshingly feminist, challenging the sexism of Shakespeare, I do wish the book has delved a little deeper into her character – but Marisha brings so much nuance and heart to the role.

Richard Fleeshman, the hottest man in musical theatre, rounds off the central trio, and steals the show, as the loveably arrogant “Will” Shakespeare, who is reimagined as a rockstar of the Renaissance, complete with tight leather trousers and a codpiece like I said, the costumes reference historical accuracy! (I had bought a pair of leather trousers to wear but the heat had other ideas, so I instead wore Versace shorts – for the dress code was “Renaissance chic” and that is basically Versace baroque!). He chews up the scenery and leaves no crumbs.

Cassisu Hackforth and Carla Dixon-Hernandez are the show’s star-crossed lovers, Nigel Bottom (Nick’s belitted little brother) and Portia (the daughter of a Puritan leader). This references not only Shakespeare but also classic Broadway musicals, in which there are often two couples, one more prominent than the other (such as Guys and Dolls, in which Marisha played the secondary female lead alongside Daniel Mays, who actually performed ‘A Musical’ alongside Jason at Big Night of Musicals, which Jason hosts each year in Manchester).

Cory English is hilarious as Nostradamus (or rather, his nephew!), a toothsayer who helps the Bottom brothers create the world’s first musical.

The core cast is rounded off with Elliotte Williams-N’Dure as Lady Croydon, Paul Ryan as Jeremiah, Gareth Davies as Shylock (who predicts that Shakespeare’s fictional version of him will be “a nice Jewish man”), Chad Saint Louis as Troubadour.

It might be called Something Rotten! but really it is something wonderful (to quote another musical!) – and the best musical to premiere at the Opera House since the similarly themed & Juliet!

Something Rotten! runs at Opera House Manchester until July 19. Check out our interview with Marisha Wallace.

Photo: Pamela Raith Photography