“Something Rotten!” celebrates musicals.
Straight from the “Book of Mormon” playbook, “Something Rotten!” isn’t as sophisticated or even as deep as the hit comedy about missionaries bumbling through Africa — but it’s no pale imitation either.
Onstage at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, “Something Rotten!” stands proudly and goofily on its own two feet — a silly pastiche of old-fashioned musical tropes, haphazard Shakespeare references and shout-outs to more classic Broadway musicals than you could shake 76 trombones at.
The reverence for the art form is a trait shared with “Mormon,” as are the zany big production numbers, the mixture of heartfelt earnestness with coarse innuendo and the gee-whiz enthusiasm of the cast. These are all good things, and “Something Rotten!” never lets the audience forget that the ultimate goal of any Broadway show is sheer entertainment. I certainly chuckled, chortled and possibly even cackled a time or two.
The story centers on the Bottom brothers (yes, their surname is key to a sophomoric joke or two), 16th-century playwrights who struggle to create a hit under the shadow of William Shakespeare, who’s adored like a rock god. After Nick Bottom consults a slightly scrambled soothsayer to learn what will be popular in theater’s future, he hatches the idea of writing “Omelette: The Musical.”
You don’t have to know a lot of theater history or Shakespearean writing to enjoy the show, but the more you know, the more hidden chuckles you’ll discover. Ultimately, the entire nonsensical wingding is a love letter both to the bard’s way with words and the enduring appeal of a songand-dance extravaganza.
Names and plot points have a Shakespearean ring: The innocent young lovers whose families keep them apart, the woman disguised as a man. And the cast attacks each silly moment with enough gusto to have won the audience over by the slower second act, which doesn’t end as sharply as merriment of this nature really should.
The outstanding cast, which really sells the silliness, includes leading men straight from Broadway. Rob McClure is misguided Nick, who keeps his character likable through his mishaps. Josh Grisetti is the show’s heart, full of the wide-eyed innocence of first love. A knowing look in his eye, Adam Pascal plays Shakespeare with swagger and simper. (Shame that a faulty microphone on opening night left the first few lines of his “Hard to Be the Bard” unheard.)
Supporting players shine, too: Blake Hammond, as the addled psychic, romps his way through “A Musical,” a number that alone is worth the price of admission for any self-respecting musicaltheater dork.
Sometimes something rotten can also be very good indeed.