Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Something Rotten is what happiness looks like and everything a musical should be!

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We were invited to the Manchester Opera House to see Something Rotten. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this must-see show...

Here ye, here ye thee citizens of Manchester! Something Rotten has finally arrived in our City and beckons our jazz hands, our tapping toes, and our musical loving spirit to adorn The Manchester Opera House and witness the story of the world’s first musical……sort of…….ok so the story may not be strictly true…….but it is an absolute corker of a show that is jam packed with cracking songs, epic dance routines, brilliant humour, and enough inside musical theatre jokes, jibes and references to make any theatre geek satisfied! Oh, and it also has two Mancunians taking the lead alongside Broadway and West End legends! I mean seriously, what’s not to love?! And don’t let the Shakespeare references put you off, for Shakespeare this ain’t! Yes he’s in but, but never like you’ve seen, or probably even imagined before, so roll up your ruffles and prepare yourself for a musical that is so zany, so fast paced, and so pumped with adrenaline that you’ll need a lie down after watching it to recover! And if you need convincing further, there’s even a song entitled ‘God I Hate Shakespeare’ in which you can witness Jason Manford’s character lose his mind over how much everyone else loves him. Something Rotten is a love letter to musicals, to Broadway, and is everything that shimmering, uplifting musical theatre should be!

When your best efforts as a playwright are continually gazumped by none other than the Elizabethan celebrity rock star style writer Shakespeare, what is Nick Bottom to do but seek guidance from a soothsayer who can predict the future?! As he receives insight into the next big thing in theatre - the musical, his brother Nigel may remain hesitant, wanting to write a play from the heart instead, but Nick is determined to put all his eggs in one soothsayer shaped basket and succeed! Though they may be wary about a world where performers act, sing, and dance at the same time, Nick’s desire to outshine Shakespeare puts a fire in his belly and leads to a whirlwind of chaos where questionable decisions, forbidden love, rivalries, and creative wins are all in a days work! Misunderstandings lead to the creation of Omelette The Musical, complete with dancing eggs and more egg puns that your brain can unscramble! But as Nick becomes more obsessed with beating Shakespeare, Nigel’s genuine talent for writing is overlooked, and his love affair with Portia becomes an issue for her theatre hating father. As Nigel is betrayed by his idol Shakespeare, the Bottom brothers family feud leaves them blind to Shakespeare’s sneaky plans. Will the Bottom Brothers find a way to save the day, save the musical, and save their relationships? Well, there’s more than one way to make an omelette after all!

Jason Manford (Waterloo Road, Sweeney Todd, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Wizard Of Oz, Manchester Panto) comes alive as Nick Bottom, a role he relishes and clearly adores, for it shines through in every ounce of his performance. His natural comic ability is let loose, leaving the audience in stiches with his effortless timing, whether that be through acting, song or dance. And he does plenty of all of it to perfection! He was born to play this role and it was a privilege to watch. He has phenomenal rapport with the entire cast and relishes each song with passionate appreciation. Jason Manford has so many stand out moments, whether he is losing his cool at his unravelling life, having a tap-dancing dance off to Shakespearean rhyming couplets with Richard Fleeshman, singing in barber shop style harmony about how to make an omelette, or creating touching moments with his characters brother and wife.

This performance has everything! Richard Fleeshman (Company, Ghost, Urinetown, Legally Blonde, Coronation Street) is our debonair Will Shakespeare and makes quite the impactful and superstar entrance with ‘Will Power’ cementing his rock star status, his self-adoring confidence that instantly magnetises his fans as he seduces with his clever words. He pitches the whole thing with such humour, purposeful cheese, smarm, and unapologetic allure that he will have you in stitches, whilst equally falling for his charismatic charm and caddish ways. We see his character full of confidence but also get glimpses of the self saboteur that lurks underneath and witness his vulnerabilities and his self-doubt that Nigel is the better writer. The next minute he will impress with his Shakespearean deliveries, before breaking out a brilliant disguise as Toby the Scotsman. This is such an invigorating and intoxicating performance that you may as well just surrender.

Marisha Wallace (Cabaret, Oklahoma, Dreamgirls, Guys & Dolls, Waitress) is our dynamic Bea Bottom who is absolutely bursting with personality meaning that you cannot help but fall in love with her performance. It is flawless and will blow you mind and your socks off. Insane vocals, spectacularly timed humour, and an infectious energy that everyone in the audience laps up and is visibly hooked by. Her rendition of ‘Right Hand Man’ has you smiling the whole way through for it is powerful, playful, forthright, determined, full of female power, and bouncing with musical theatre joy throughout! She delivers an array of brilliant characters throughout as Bea heads into disguise mode, that will have you giggling endlessly, and she equally brings love, loyalty and heart to the show with her unwavering support and dedication to creating the best life for her family. I am in awe that I finally got to watch Marisha Wallace live and it is now a core memory that will keep my own heart smiling.

Cassius Hackforth (Jay Kelly, Doctor Who, Two Weeks In August, From Here To Eternity, For Tonight) brings us the talented and frustrated Nigel Bottom. This is a multi-layered performance of someone who survives on little self-belief even though their talent is immense, and strives for love, stability, and reassurance. It is wonderfully funny, beautifully tender, with exquisite moments of heart, truth, and inspiration. His different relationships with his brother, Shakespeare, Bea, and Portia, all shine through and allow him a multi-faceted performance. A brilliant moment is when he turns into a poetry geek with Portia and they let their inhibitions go and totally nerd out with each other in a moment of unadulterated authenticity. Carla Dixon-Hernandez (Mona Loser, Matilda, Annie, Mrs. Doubtfire) gives us a beautifully love-struck Portia and plays the double entendre brilliantly, especially when Nigel reads her his poetry and finishes too quickly! She then leads us into one of the biggest showstoppers of ‘We See The Light’ and definitely one of the biggest earworm songs in the show. She brings such a genuine energy and lightness to the show that she is a pleasure to watch every time she is on stage.

Cory English (Back To The Future The Musical, The Producers, Until I Kill You, The Addams Family, Young Frankenstein) is our delightfully bonkers Nostradamus and was definitely an audience favourite. His physically comedy was outstanding and he reduced the audience to tears of laughter time and time again by a mere flip of his head and swish of his cape as his psychic powers kicked in. This was a masterclass in letting go and embodying a character to its full potential, allowing physicality, vocal energy, and a good sprinkle of kookoo to take hold! And when he leads ‘A Musical’ – wow! The energy is relentless, the vocals outstanding, the timing perfection and just when you think you’ve seen it all, he emerges as The Phantom Of The Opera! It truly is a beautifully bonkers, sane insanity performance that you will never forget! Completing the main cast are Elliotte Williams-N’Dure (Kathy & Stella Solve A Murder, Unfortunate, Moulin Rouge) as our Lady Croydon who does a fabulous job of flitting between her hoity toity accent and it slipping into regional realness, creating laugh out loud moments throughout.

Paul Ryan (Mamma Mia, Noises Off, Bouncers, Ghosts, The Magic Flute) as Jeremiah who is another expert at accidentally faux pasing the double entendre with hilarious results, and switching it up beautifully in ‘We See The Light’ from a Puritan leader to a jazz hand loving, sequin wearing, musical theatre fanatic! Gareth Davies (Fiddler On The Roof, Oliver, Frankenstein, Guys & Dolls, Julius Caeser) performs as Shylock and to quote his own tag line regarding his performance “I love it! I love it! I love it!” He shoehorns in important messages about prejudice with comic ease, brings the same kind of theatre fangirling I was feeling as an audience member in abundance, and sprinkles additional jubilant energy into every scene! Chad Saint Louis (50 First Dates, Ghost, Spring Awakening) is our Troubadour who opens the show with a cracking set of vocal pipes and his talent, warm energy and ability to multi role throughout the entire show, set the entire vibe from the off and I cannot tell you how much tonights audience lapped it up!

Something Rotten is the eclectic music, lyrics, and book brainchild of Wayne Kirkpatrick, Karey Kirkpatrick, and John O’Farrell, and the result is a whirlwind show teeming with adoration of all things theatre alongside a brilliantly bonkers story, with wildly catchy and rousing showtunes. It is a musical theatre lovers dream. Every song hits just right, with audience favourites and big showstoppers such as ‘A Musical’, and ‘We See The Light’. There are so many lyrics and they are worth paying attention to, for absolute nuggets such as during ‘God I Hate Shakespeare’ when the ensemble return this sentiment with “Don’t be a penis, the man is a genius!” This is a show you could watch again and again and still find new lines to appreciate. Choreographer and director Tim Jackson must have this musical running through his veins for never has a cast seemed so in sync, so proud, and so passionate about their show. It is slick, spectacular, and sizzling with sensational showtunes. With set designed by Colin Richmond, costumes by Rebecca Brower and lighting by Howard Hudson, this is Manchester does Broadway and Hollywood all rolled into one. The set is like something on a film backlot! You feel you could walk around it and believe you were in a village. It is impressive to say the least and I really wanted to jump up on stage and explore. Costumes were so indicative of Elizabethan times, blending with their musical theatre remit, and the lighting took us everywhere from rock concerts, to the grimy Elizabethan streets, to the Les Mis French revolution! What a creative team this is!

Then there’s the songs! Even just taking ‘A Musical’ as an example! What a showpiece this is! Cory English leads us into it alongside Jason Manford with physical and vocal hilarity before the music even starts. There are so many troupes throughout this that lovingly mock the musical theatre format, and have the audience in stitches as we all recognise the absurdity of this format we all adore so much. It is so cleverly written, and add in sublime direction, choreography, and performances, and this is an outstanding piece of theatre. The musical theatre references throughout will bombard you with their brilliance, as the song adapts to pay homage to the likes of Les Mis, Hamilton, Seussical The Musical, South Pacific, The Book Of Mormon, Chicago, Evita, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie, Sweet Charity, and that’s just for starters! And I have to say, anything that has a huge tap dance break in the middle followed by a kick line and jazz hands will always be a winner with me! And there’s a key line here in the song too – “But why do it?” “Because it’s entertaining!” And that just about sums up this show. It isn’t trying to change the world with art, make a political or social message, it’s trying to entertain, because there’s also a huge place for this in theatre and we mustn’t ever forget it! Theatre takes us out of our own lives, entertains, cheers us up, makes us feel uplifted and all is shiny and happy with the world for a few hours! It gives us relief and rest and it is joyous! Something Rotten is a love letter for anyone who ever loved a musical! This theme of paying homage to the world of musicals is extended in ‘Make An Omelette’ with even more musicals being referenced, complete with costumes, so keep an eye out for how many you can spot!

Something Rotten has made it with ease into my top favourite musicals list and I have every intention of going again before its Manchester run is at an end. It is so clever, so witty, so proud and in love with its own art form that it celebrates exactly who and what it is with pride, enthusiasm, and love. Behind all the frivolity, the crazy, and the comedy, there is a beautiful and serene adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic line from Hamlet “To thine own self be true,” that gives the show an authentic heart and backbone.

“Sure as the day follows the night. Sure as the sky turns to blue. This much I know, this much is true, above all else in whatever you do, to thine own self be true.”

Something Rotten is completely true to itself and the result was an audience reaction that I have never seen the likes of before. The opening number ended, the applause didn’t! Every number was the same! It was actually quite emotional to see how much happiness this show brought everyone, how much it gave to us all, and how much we undoubtedly all took away. So is Something Rotten to be, or not to be a hit? Are you kidding me?! Something Rotten is what happiness looks like and everything a musical should be!

WE SCORE SOMETHING ROTTEN...