Posts Tagged ‘something rotten’

“Something Rotten!” Entertains in Shakespearean Style at the Muny

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Something Rotten!
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
Music and Lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
Directed by Rob Ruggiero
Choreographed by Parker Esse
The Muny
August 18, 2026

Jacob Dickey, Matt Doyle, WIll Burton and Cast
Photo by Phillip Hamera
The Muny

The Muny is closing out its 2026 season with a trip to the Renaissance, for the hilarious, Shakespearean musical comedy Something Rotten!, directed by Rob Ruggiero and choreographed by Parker Esse.  Having seen it twice before–one bigger production and one small–I was looking forward to seeing what the Muny could do with it on its giant stage in Forest Park. The result is, as expected, a laugh riot, with lots of humor and a good deal of heart as well. With a strong cast and the Muny’s typically fantastic production values, this show is a sure crowd-pleaser that draws lots of laughs and audience enthusiasm. 

The story, after an intro from a Minstrel (DeMarius  R. Copes) takes us to Elizabethan England, where brothers Nick (Matt Doyle) and Nigel Bottom (Will Burton) head up a theatre troupe, but they are having trouble finding their next hit play due to constant competition from star playwright William Shakespeare (Jacob Dickey), who seems overly interested in what the brothers produce. Nick, desperate to support his family including wife Bea (Bryonha Marie) and impending baby, finds a soothsayer named Nostradamus (Jen Cody)–not that one, but his niece–to find out what Shakespeare’s biggest hit play is going to be, along with what “the next big thing” in theatre will be. This leads Nick on a path to producing a flashy show to the frustration of poet Nigel, for whom the idea “just doesn’t sound right”. Nigel, for his part, has fallen for Portia (Elizabeth Teeter), a young Puritan woman who also loves poetry, to the great disappointment of her sanctimonious father, Brother Jeremiah (Lara Teeter). While the brothers try to work out their differences and Shakespeare schemes, much hilarity ensues leading up to the production of Omelette: The Musical. 

It’s a fun show. What’s especially good about it is that it works no matter the size of the cast or company, and it works just as well with flashier production values as it does on a more modest budget. It’s just funny, and funny goes a long way. The Muny’s production is obviously a bigger one, with a lavish set by Edward E. Haynes Jr. that takes the audience to a slightly cartoonish version of Renaissance England, as well as excellent costumes by DW, based on the original Broadway designs by Gregg Barnes. There’s also catchy lighting by Rob Denton, strong sound by Joshua Hummel, and memorable video design by Camilla Tassi. The orchestra is also excellent, doing justice to the fun score and led by music director Anne Shuttlesworth.  It’s a big, bright energetic show with brisk pacing and a load of hilarious jokes.

The cast is first-rate, as well, led by likable performances from Doyle and Burton as Nick and Nigel. Burton is especially a standout as the sensitive, creative Nigel, and his scenes with the equally excellent Elizabeth Teeter as Portia are a highlight. Marie is strong as the feisty Bea, as well, and Dickey brings a scheming energy and rock-star like quality to Shakespeare. Cody is also a scene-stealer as Nostradamus, showing off excellent physicality and comic timing. The leads are backed by a top-notch ensemble, as well, with fun moments from Adam Heller as Shylock, Lara Teeter as the dour Brother Jeremiah, and Copes as the clear-voiced Minstrel, along with a large ensemble of villagers, actors, and more. It’s an energetic troupe, executing Parker Esse’s vibrant choreography especially well. 

Something Rotten! is, simply put, a whole lot of fun. It’s great to see it make its Muny debut with such a large, vibrant production and such a strong cast and crew. If you love Shakespeare and musical theatre, like I do, it’s sure to be a special treat. All the musical insider jokes make for a special treat, as well. It’s a marvelous way to close out the Muny season. 

Casst of Someting Rotten!
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is presenting Something Rotten! in Forest Park until August 23, 2026

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Fun, Scaled-Down “Something Rotten!” Makes a Big Impression at New Line

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Something Rotten!
Music and Lyrics by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell
Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Directed by Scott Miller
Choreographed by Alyssa Wolf
New Line Theatre
September 23, 2022

Chris Kernan, Carrie Wenos, Melissa Felps, Marshall Jennings, and Cast of Something Rotten!
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre

New Line has proved over and over that they know how to take Broadway shows and find more substance while focusing on the characters, often by scaling down to fit their smaller company and performance space. Their latest production, Something Rotten! is another example of this concentrated approach, and for the most part, it’s a resounding success. With thoughtful direction and a great cast, and toned-down production values, this show succeeds in managing to find the heart of its story while maintaining the crackling humor and fun meta tone of the piece.

The story takes place in London during Elizabethan times, but the look of this production is more of a mix of period and modern influences, with a much more minimalized staging and tone than the touring production based on the Broadway version that I saw at the Fox a few years ago. The story follows brothers Nick (Chris Kernan) and Nigel Bottom (Marshall Jennings), who head up a theatre troupe and are having trouble figuring out what their next play will be, after having to abandon their latest project due to competition from the persistent, rock-star like William Shakespeare (Clayton Humburg), who consistently sells out his shows and has drawn a large following of groupie-like fans, much to Nick’s distress. The more practical-minded Nick is looking for a hit that will help pay off his debts and support his family, resisting his forward-thinking wife Bea (Carrie Wenos) in her suggestions that she get a job to help. Nigel, however, is a poet, and what he strives for is artistic integrity. Nigel finds a kindred spirit in fellow poetry nerd Portia (Melissa Felps), to the dismay of her father, the stuffy Puritan Brother Jeremiah (Jason Blackburn), who is also leading an effort to shut down the brothers’ production and company. With various struggles including the financial difficulties, creative challenges, rivalry with Shakespeare, the moralistic challenges, and some unexpected family news from Bea, the increasingly stressed Nick decides to bring in a soothsayer–the enthusiastic Thomas Nostradamus (Jeffrey Izquierdo-Malon), nephew to the more famous prognosticator–to let him know what the biggest trend in theatre will be in the future, as well as what Shakespeare’s most celebrated play will be. The mixed up Nostradamus comes up with a hodgepodge of muddled information that leads first to the hilarious, gloriously meta production number “A Musical” and then to Nick’s newest hope of a bankable hit–Omelette: The Musical, along with a host of other terrifically witty meta-references to musical theatre that are too numerous to count.

The best word to describe this show, and this production, is “fun”. It’s also smart, thoughtful, occasionally raunchy, but most of all full of genuine emotion and a strong message about artistic integrity and the importance of authenticity vs. commercialism in art, and particularly theatre. There are also some well-place criticisms of the culture in Shakespeare’s day as well as some insightful comments about today’s society. It was big and flashy in it’s Broadway version, but director Scott Miller has impressively toned it down here, making it seem less derivative of the slapsticky tone of the works of Mel Brooks and Monty Python and more like a just as hilarious but also more character-focused story in its own right. With this toned-down approach, all the jokes still land, but the message and the heart ring even more true. 

Also working in this production’s favor are the simple production values, with Rob Lippert’s fairly basic but nice-looking unit set and a few furniture pieces setting the scene. The costuming by Sarah Porter is also fun, with cool touches like Shakespeare’s “rocker” look with the leather pants and eye liner, and the Elizabethan-inspired dresses for the woman characters. It all is in keeping with the whimsical but not over-the-top overall tone of the production, along with Matt Stuekel’s appropriately atmospheric lighting. There’s also a great band led by music director Mallory Golden, although their placement–in the middle of the performance areas, mostly behind the performers but slightly intruding into their space–sometimes leads to the music overpowering the singers, although this issue improves as the show goes on. The only major issue I have technically is with Nostradamus’s makeup and wig/bald cap, which is overdone to the point of looking cartoonish, which is out of keeping with the overall tone of this production and makes the character look like he’s not in the same show as everyone else. This is especially unfortunate considering Izquierdo-Malon’s otherwise terrific, scene-stealing performance, which is full of personality, excellent vocals, comic timing and impressive dance skills. It’s a true highlight of this production, despite the somewhat distracting makeup.

As for the rest of the cast, they are stellar–led by the amiable and marvelously-sung performances of Kernan as the angsty Nick and Jennings as the dreamer Nigel, who work especially well together as the obviously caring but very different brothers. There’s also excellent work from Wenos as the ambitious, loyal Bea, and especially Felps as the earnest, poetic Portia, whose scenes with Jennings are another highlight. Humburg is also a lot of fun, hamming it up as the egotistical and oddly insecure Shakespeare, showing off some surprising rock-star energy. Chris Moore also makes a strong impression opening the show as the Minstrel. There’s a strong ensemble in support, as well, keeping up the energy and comic timing, and performing well with Alyssa Wolf’s energetic and somewhat goofy (in a good way) choreography. 

Overall, Something Rotten! is a real treat. At New Line, it’s not big or flashy, but it looks great, for the most part, and it distills the story down to its essential elements–music, comedy, truth, and heart. It’s a remarkable example of the idea that sometimes, less really is more. 

Clayton Humburg (Center) and Cast of Something Rotten!
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre

New Line Theatre is presenting Something Rotten! at the Marcelle Theatre until October 15, 2022

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