Something Rotten is the funniest and freshest comedy in years.
It takes place when Shakespeare was alive, played by the hilarious and buff, Christian Borle, who plays Shakespeare as if he is a rock star. His very sexy costume by Greg Barnes made it hard to look away from his skin tight leather pants and well-endowed codpiece. He looks hotter than he did in Millie, Legally Blonde or more recently in Smash. He plays the role as a self-absorbed rock star, and every woman and man wants to sleep with him. He also has an entourage that are also dressed in the skin tight leather pants. One would never think of William Shakespeare as a sex symbol, but it did add to my enjoyment of the evening!
The play centers around Brian d’Arcy James known also for SMASH, SHREK on Broadway, Sweet Smell of Success, Next To Normal) as Nick Bottom, a playwright who is having writer’s block and hates Shakespeare because he is very famous. Bottom goes to Nostradamus (Brad Oscar) who can predict the future and tells Bottom that he should create a musical as it will be the next big thing in theater in the future. He happens to see into the future but messes it all up and instead of seeing Hamlet as Shakespeare’s big show he sees a vision of OMELETTE THE MUSICAL and Bottom writes a musical about Eggs.
The best thing about the show is it adds tons of jokes about musical theater throughout and if you are a musical theater fan (GUILTY) you will get all the jokes and it will be difficult not to laugh or in my case howl.
The cast is terrific, but Borle and Brad Oscar get all the clever lines. John Cariani and Kate Reinders have a side love story that is cute. Reinders reminded me of Kristin Chenoweth; it was as if she was impersonating her in the show. She is stunning and has an excellent singing voice. She plays a young woman who is madly in love with poetry and meets Nigel Bottom ( Cariani) who loves to write plays and poetry and sets to woo the gorgeous blonde. They are adorable, but the hilarious and over the top Brooks Ashmanskas plays Brother Jeremiah, her Father, and a Puritan preacher who seems to be in the closet.
The show is clever and entertaining, and the play flies by and leaves you wanting more and wanting to see it again. I just want to see it from the fourth row so I can admire the facial expressions of the very talented cast and yes, I plan on seeing it again. Pure, entertainment.It is Corine’s pick. Sex sells, and there is truth in the saying that the internet is for porn. There is even a poke at Avenue Q in the show. Surprise, surprise the Producer Kevin McCollum is a brilliant marketer.
Five stars.
