What could be better than a night full of codpieces, doublets and farthingales? Not much, especially when that attire is worn by Broadway greats Rob McClure, Josh Grisetti and Adam Pascal as they tap-dance their knee-high boots across the stage at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa.
Something Rotten!, a musical comedy that takes place in the late 16th century, depicts the troubling tale of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom (played by McClure and Grisetti). The Bottoms — whose unfortunate name is just one target of the show’s endless innuendos — are struggling playwrights who strive to create a work of art that won’t be overshadowed by their great rival: Egotistical rockstar bard William Shakespeare (played by Pascal). The musical is over-the-top, flashy and full of energy, keeping the audience engaged throughout each of the show’s 19 lively numbers.
Various appeals are made to the diverse audience that nearly fills the balconies and rows of Morsani Hall’s 2,610 seats. From an elaborate repertoire of Renaissance costumes to darkly humorous historical references through numbers like “Welcome to the Renaissance” and “The Black Plague,” Something Rotten! captivates those with even a mild interest in European history. Lively stage presence Maggie Lakis, McClure’s real-life wife, plays the part of his wife onstage as well, enchanting audience members with a strong but unexaggerated sense of feminism and autonomy as she disguises herself as a man to get a manual labor job and contribute to the dwindling family income. When she is discovered and reprimanded by her husband, Mrs. Bottom retorts, “This is the nineties! We’ve got a woman on the throne and by the year 1600, women will be completely equal to men.” If only. I am pretty sure I could hear Elizabeth I rolling in her grave.
Fans of history and theater alike will remain enthralled with the innumerable references to Shakespeare’s most infamous quotes and dozens of musical theater references (I lost count somewhere after 20). Moving from Cats to Annie, The Lion King to Fiddler on the Roof and Little Shop of Horrors, this musical truly keeps its audience on the edge of our seats. There is hardly time to recover from the last burst of hysterics or applause before I find myself laughing out loud again.
It is no wonder Something Rotten! has received 10 Tony nominations — it truly does have something for everyone. As the curtain is drawn and the roar of the enthusiastic standing ovation begins to die down, the elderly gentleman next to me adjusts his bow tie and asks me what I thought. I tell him how much I loved it and he, easily 40 years my senior, nods emphatically in agreement. “Yes, yes, wasn’t it great?” This show is definitely not one to miss.
Something Rotten!
Morsani Hall, Straz Center, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa
Through Mar. 12
$31-$83
813-229-STAR. strazcenter.org
This article appears in Mar 9-16, 2017.