Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN at The Naples Players

SOMETHING ROTTEN at The Naples Players follows Nick Bottom as he tries to create the next best play and become more popular than Shakespeare.

Mark Vanagas plays Nick Bottom, and he was fantastic. I was captivated by Nick's journey, and thought Vanagas did an amazing job at giving this character life. His wife, Bea Bottom, is played by JamieLynn Bucci. I loved her character and her determination to help Nick. Bucci brought a lot of personality to Bea, and her "Right Hand Man" was excellent. Nigel Bottom, Nick's brother, is played by Eduardo Marin. He was one of my favorite characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching his journey as well. He and Portia (Erica Sample) were very sweet together, and you couldn't help but root for their relationship.

Will Shakespeare, a rockstar-like figure in this show, is played by Adam Fasano. Shakespeare is very arrogant and deceptive in SOMETHING ROTTEN, and Fasano played it well. As Nick attempts to get ahead of Shakespeare, he visits Nostradamus, a man who can see into the future, played by Joseph C. Byrne. I thought Byrne did a great job at making this character unique and interesting. He was very funny, and I enjoyed the character a lot.

The rest of the characters and ensemble in this production rounded out an amazing cast. This is one of my favorite productions I have seen recently, and the talented cast is largely to thank for that.

SOMETHING ROTTEN was directed and choreographed by Dawn Lebrecht Fornara, with music direction by Charles Fornara, scenic design by Michael Hoover, lighting design by Craig Walck, sound design by Josh Reid and Bradley Van Houten, costume design by Dot Auchmoody, props design by Michael Santos and Esther Snyder, and stage management by Emily Smith. This production came together beautifully, thanks to this creative team. Each piece of it added up to create something that blew me away. The music was catchy, the singing was excellent, the costumes were perfect, and the set was very clever.

SOMETHING ROTTEN only runs through this Sunday, July 24, and I highly recommend getting tickets to it before it closes. It is hilarous, fun, and full of talent. For more information and to buy tickets, follow the link below.

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