Something Rotten! @ Stolen Shakespeare Guild
—Jan Farrington
Shakespeare as a preening pop idol? Squealing girl groupies, free drinks in the pub, the envy of all other writers?
Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s rollicking production of Something Rotten! tells the story of the Bottom brothers, brash theater entrepreneur Nick (Keith J. Warren) and his shy-but-talented brother Nigel (Rylan Oaks), the poet/playwright. With The Bard (“Why is he ‘The’ Bard? I’m a bard, you’re a bard—he’s just one of the bards!”) sucking all the air out of the writing world, what can they do to get ahead?
Nick (“God, I Hate Shakespeare”) has a notion: empty the Money Box he and strong-willed wife Bea (Sarah Powell) keep struggling to fill, and hire a soothsayer to foretell the future. Nick wants to know: What’s the Next Big Thing in theater? A wild-eyed, cut-rate Nostradamus (Steven Young), nephew of the real visionary, is happy to wrinkle his forehead, shiver his timbers, and exclaim: “Musicals!” Long pause. “What’s a musical?”
Directed by Nathan Autrey for maximum verve, SSG’s Something Rotten! has plenty of strong, tuneful voices, lively (and sometimes anachronistically funny) choreography from Ashley Tysor, and a chorus that’s “all in” for every moment they’re onstage—and very fun to watch. Kari Makoutz’ period costumes are nicely done, especially a sleek B&W Puritan dress, and the panoramic set painting of Shakespeare’s London (D. Aidan Wright is the designer) makes a great anchor for the whole crazy story.
Rotten! was a long time getting to Broadway in 2015. Brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick had the idea in the 1990s, but both had decent screenwriting/songwriting careers in Hollywood to distract them. Once they got serious, British author John O’Farrell came on board too. The show was scheduled for an out-of-town tryout, but audience response to a New York workshop was so strong the producers took a chance—and went directly to a Broadway theater. The show was nominated for ten 2015 Tony awards, and actor Christian Borle (playing Shakespeare) won for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. It’s since become a favorite with regional theater companies.
While the hair-flipping and surprisingly sneaky Shakespeare (Aaron Kozak) tries to find out what the Bottoms are up to, Nostradamus convinces them that Will’s biggest future hit will be a play called “Omelette.” He can’t stop blurting out confusing bits of Broadway: random song lyrics (“How do you solve a problem like Ophelia”), titles (“Cats!”), etc. Broadway nerds will love the inside jokes and shout-outs to shows. Nigel is pretty sure Nostradamus is nuts—but Nick sticks to the plan (pan?) with Omelette. Can dancing eggs be far behind?
Sarah Powell is admirable as Bea, who loves her “Right Hand Man” but also has ambitions to spare. (“It’s the ‘90s!”—the 1590s—“Why shouldn’t I do what I want?”) Samantha Snow is sweet and smart as Puritan Portia, who bonds with Nigel over poetry and (yes) Shakespeare. Garrett Hollowell is bright-eyed and determined as “the Jew” Shylock, who technically can’t be hired by anyone for anything—but still wants to back their show. (And he does a great Gilbert Gottfried.) Joshua Hawkins’ Minstrel has a lilting “Welcome” song for each act. And again, the ensemble? Two thumbs up.
Something Rotten! casts a wide net—most audiences will find plenty to enjoy. But if you’re a card-carrying fan of shows like Upstart Crow, Blackadder, Monty Python, even Shakespeare in Love, this one should fit you like a glove. A very, very silly glove.
WHEN: Through May 1st
WHERE: Fort Worth Community Arts Center/Sanders Theatre
