Every generation has that one playwright who transcends their craft and becomes a noteworthy figure in history. Even for those who don’t quite make it, there are outlets for their work to be seen and even documented against this towering figure. Then again, this is the 21st century and not Renaissance England. We have access to worlds that live in the shadows of a man so renowned that he is the supreme text in academia, whose work is constantly getting discussed and reimagined to reflect his timelessness. A man who is simply known as “The Bard.” For most, the theater prior to the 1900s IS William Shakespeare. Nothing else comes close to being mentioned.
So imagine being The Bottom Brothers: the protagonists of the uproarious Something Rotten who have their own aspirations for making it in the industry. The real question, however, is whether they’re good enough to follow those dreams. Investors don’t seem to think so, and one of their brothers may accidentally be feeding lines to Shakespeare’s greatest work. Despite featuring numbers that declare, “I really hate Shakespeare,” this is ultimately a loving homage to his work with several references to his classics – most notably Hamlet – with a book written in a way not dissimilar from a post-modernist take on theater itself. The audience will laugh and nod along as they recognize the many fourth wall breaks that reveal odes to other musicals that encapsulate the fact that this is ultimately a how about passion, even if you’re not necessarily the best.
Credit must be given to The Rose Center Theater for putting on a show of enormous magnitude. Several numbers feature elaborate ensembles performing harmonies amid comedic dance routines. The busy nature can sometimes make the experience daunting, and the limited resources shine through notably in the microphone department. Even then, there’s a go-for-broke nature that’s charming and allows everything to unfold with ease. The cast is having fun and, thus, charms the audience into laughing along as they discover this world of complex verses and character turns that don’t always go in predictable directions.
The central characters are especially effective at conveying the mix of frustration and genius that exists in The Bottom Brothers. They are at wits’ end as they deal with financial losses and a public that doesn’t favor radical theater. With romantic subplots involving puritans who are against theater due to the impure thoughts it conveys, everything swirls together and allows for constant rushing on and off stage in a manner that allows the gags to never grow stale. Again, the sound mixing may cause a few to not reach more than the third row, but the passion flowing through the crowd numbers has its magic and shows how well this material holds up.
Nowhere is this truer than in the highly acclaimed number, “It’s A Musical.” As the ultimate fourth-wall-breaking number, Thomas Nostradamus (long story) predicts that the next big fad will be musicals. To Renaissance England, the idea is absurd. Still, as Thomas predicts signs coming loose and personal mishaps, the appeal shines through. He is the greatest comic folly in the whole piece, at times creating revelations that sound absurd in context (a play about cats!), but work equally as punchlines.
Still, his big moment comes when required to sing the construction of musicals as a concept. It’s also here that the cast is required to interchange dozens of references to classics of yesteryear. The rushed tone may keep all of them from landing, but the thrill of attempting to get them all remains a highlight of the show, and the costume work is top-notch here. For those who can get on the wavelength of the show, this is an irresistible piece of performative theater. It’s a concept that returns throughout, albeit in more subtle ways.
For a show that’s a love letter to stage musicals, Something Rotten brings enough new material to keep audiences ravished. Despite the dated setting, the jokes remain sharp and are benefited from a supporting cast who mix humor and pathos to utmost efficiency. Even with any shortcomings, The Rose Center Theater production has a lot to enjoy and captures the heart of putting on a show. By the end, it’ll be difficult to not walk away with a smile while humming a few songs. Even if you hate Shakespeare, there’s a good chance you’ll like what this show has to say about his work.
Comments
Post a Comment