Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom each Thursday to share her impressions of the region's thespian offerings. This week she's here with a review of the touring company production of the Broadway musical Something Rotten!, now playing at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre.
A musical comedy brought together on stage by the director of Aladdin and co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights, Something Rotten! tells the story of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, two Renaissance-era playwrights mired in the shadow of their rockstar contemporary, Will Shakespeare. After a fortune-teller informs them that the next big trend in theater will involve plays that feature singing, dancing and acting at the same time, the brothers decide to produce the world's first musical. Their efforts provide Something Rotten!'s driving energy.
The musical's New York production opened in April 2015. The National Tour commenced in January of this year, with three Broadway principals reprising their roles: Rob McClure as Nick Bottom, Adam Pascal as Shakespeare and Josh Grisetti as Nigel Bottom. The touring cast also features Maggie Lakis as Bea, Blake Hammond as Nostradamus, Autumn Hurlbert as Portia, Scott Cote as Brother Jeremiah and Jeff Brooks as Shylock.
The original musical is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick, and a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O’Farrell.
Something Rotten! continues at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore for a limited engagement from Tuesday, April 18 to Sunday, April 23.
