The time is Renaissance England, where two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, are desperate to write a hit play. But how can they when the competition is the biggest star of the era, everyone's favorite bard: William Shakespeare? So they seek out the soothsayer Nostradamus. But not the Nostradamus, his nephew Thomas, who gives our heroes a completely original idea from the future - write a play with songs. And thus, the first ever musical is born. But not without much mayhem, madness, and musical mishaps. There is indeed Something Rotten! - and it will have audiences rolling in the aisles.
Something Rotten! goes over easy. Too easy. The songs are catchy, but quickly digested (though the opening number Welcome to the Renaissance lodges in the head nicely). The book, co-written with John O'Farrell of Spitting Image, and lyrics settle for the undemanding laugh and usually get it. The performers are excellent, of course, with James strutting his song-and-dance stuff and Borle channelling Mick Jagger, or maybe just Harry Styles. Casey Nicholaw directs in his usual pert and perky fashion, and the choreography is reasonably entertaining.
Happily, the director/choreographer is Casey Nicholaw, whose distinctly joyful irreverence...is just what's needed here...The talented players are key. Brian d'Arcy James buoyantly returns to Broadway as Nick...Nick prefigures certain skeptical scholars in believing that Shakespeare's invention is not always truly his own. Certainly, as played by a devilishly funny Christian Borle, this Will's a slippery fellow...Nigel, played by John Cariani -- giving a relatively subdued performance, in which tenderness and goofiness are relayed with endearing understatement -- is actually the more inspired of the siblings...Even if you haven't brushed up on your Shakespeare recently -- or your musical theater -- you'll find plenty that's amusing, if little that's memorable, in Something Rotten!
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2017 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Christian Borle |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Brian d'Arcy James |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | John O'Farrell |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Karey Kirkpatrick |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Casey Nicholaw |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Christian Borle |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Brad Oscar |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Wayne Kirkpatrick |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Karey Kirkpatrick |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Something Rotten! |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Larry Hochman |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Christian Borle |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Brian d'Arcy James |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Something Rotten! |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Brian d'Arcy James |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Christian Borle |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Something Rotten! |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Casey Nicholaw |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Gregg Barnes |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Cariani |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Heidi Blickenstaff |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Jeff Croiter |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Something Rotten! |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Scott Pask |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Karey Kirkpatrick |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | John O'Farrell |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Casey Nicholaw |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Gregg Barnes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Timothy Laczynski |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Kyodo Tokyo Inc. |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Wendy Federman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Barbara Freitag |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | LAMS Productions |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Winkler/DeSimone |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Kevin McCollum |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jujamcyn Theaters |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | JAM Theatricals |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Robert Greenblatt |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Dan Markley |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Harris/Karmazin |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Morris Berchard |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ronald Frankel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jerry Frankel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mastro/Goodman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | CMC |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Broadway Global Ventures |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Something Rotten! |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Larry Hochman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Karey Kirkpatrick |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Wayne Kirkpatrick |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Christian Borle |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Brad Oscar |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Brian d'Arcy James |
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