By Kimberly Harper
The Providence Performing Arts center is closing its 2017-2018 Broadway Series with the hilariously witty “Something Rotten,” essentially one giant inside joke for anyone who loves musical theater, and it’s fabulous.
Set in the 1500s, Nick and Nigel Bottom are brothers who are looking to write the next big theatrical hit – but they, like so many other authors of their time, are overshadowed by the great William Shakespeare, who is a literal rock star in this production. Nigel is a huge fan, but Nick absolutely hates the Bard, calling him a talentless thief of others’ ideas. Faced with growing debts and a dearth of good ideas, Nick visits a soothsayer – Nostradamus, but not THAT Nostradamus, just his nephew – to find out the next big thing in theater.
The answer: Musicals. (“And people actually like this?” Nick asks incredulously, amid a giant production number that lampoons some of the biggest clichés in the genre, up to and including kick lines and women with giant feather fans. “No, they love it,” Nostradamus counters.)
What follows is a two-hour romp through the brothers’ struggle to write the first-ever musical theater masterpiece, and it’s full of jokes and nods to some of the biggest shows and writers to grace Broadway stages, including Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. And in case you were looking for some larger metaphor here, the characters are quick to remind you that most musicals are all about fluffy escapism. (“Cats!” Nostradamus exclaims at one point. “Singing cats all over the stage!”) But even with Nostradamus’ guidance, Nick still can’t seem to come up with a great idea. Nigel suggests writing what they know, but Nick opts instead to try and get Nostradamus to predict Shakespeare’s next big hit.
The problem is, Nostradamus didn’t get quite as much talent as his more famous uncle, leading him to predict that “Omelette” will be the next big thing. Cue the tapdancing eggs. (Yes, really.)
During all this we also have two love stories: Nick’s marriage to the pragmatic and ahead-of-her-time Bea, and Nigel falling for Portia, the daughter of an extremely uptight Puritan pastor. Both women are headstrong and smart, and unwilling to stand back and watch the men they love self-destruct. Their influence is crucial to moving the plot along (and in one instance, saving the men’s lives).
The show is packed with talent. Adam Pascal is the hard-drinking, womanizing Shakespeare who is finding it hard to keep the good ideas coming. Rob McClure is truly hilarious as Nick, especially when he is going on about his (possibly not irrational) hatred of Shakespeare, and Josh Grisetti is a sweet and goofy Nigel. Maggie Lakis as Bea and Autumn Hurlburt as Portia both lend amazing, strong voices to the production and have excellent comedic timing. One of the best roles in the show, though, is Nostradamus, and Blake Hammond captures the essence of the character perfectly.
“Something Rotten” is also laced with tons of Shakespeare references, from obvious ones to the more obscure, but even if you’re not a big fan of old Will (and hey, neither is Nick), you won’t be lost. The show is a true gold mine of laughs for theater geeks, but it will just as easily make the less invested crack up. And the musical numbers are extremely catchy – you’re going to be humming the song about the Black Death the next day at work, but don’t worry, your co-workers will love it. This is a clever gem that shouldn’t be missed.
“Something Rotten!” runs through Sunday at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 200 Weybosset St., Providence, RI. Tickets start at $41 and may be obtained online at ppacri.org, at the box office, or by calling 401.421-2787.
