VPM’s Music and Drama department recently put on the musical “Something Rotten”. The show was excellent! Everything was executed perfectly from the acting to music and set design and lights and choreography. It was truly a spectacle. Set in Renaissance Europe the show itself focused on two brothers Neigel and Nick who have come on hard times and are playwrights. They are facing financial difficulty constantly overshadowed by Shakespeare. This causes them to seek out a fortune teller who advises them to write a musical and misinterprets Shakespeare’s biggest hit (Hamlet) as Omelette. The ensuing events end up with them exposed for fraud but they are cast off to America in a surprise twist to make musicals for the new world. Through this there are subplots of Neigel finding the love of his life in a Puritan girl and Nick’s betrayal of his wife’s trust along with her undying faith in him and eagerness to obtain financial stability forcing her to work numerous jobs. Both of these storylines are resolved at the end with the exile as Nick’s wife, Bea, finds stability in America and the Puritan, Portia, runs away with Neigel and them.

The show in general never takes itself too seriously as Puritan ministers make allusions and the plays the Bottom brothers put on have a lighthearted mocking feel to them as their small troupe dances on stage singing about the plague. This is enhanced even more by the over the top adoration the people of England give Shakespeare and the numerous odd jobs Bea performs to try and make a bit of coin. The end result is a musical so funny I was trying to stop myself from crying half time! I really do think that this combined with the truly impressive large scenes is what makes this musical special as you had numerous tap dancing and line dance performances that gave you this surreal feeling of immersion into the world. The only time I think that the show grounds itself is with Bea, as her character is usually making a stance for women in jobs and showing non dependance on her partner. This is juxtaposed though with the fact that she is only doing it because she wants a cottage in the woods, and she is more indirectly supporting women in this way. Other ways Bea grounds the show is through her touching moments with Neigel as she explains her husband’s actions and in her song “Right Hand Man” where she confesses that she is there for him and wants to help. These pieces add conviction to her character as she performs her actions within the whirlwind of set changes constantly moving on the stage.

When comparing this show to others here at VPM I think from a people point they nailed it as with the other ones. This show was executed just as expertly, if not more, than the Addams family. Just the choreo alone is spectacular as a flood of dresses and clicking shoes bring life to the stage almost every song. What makes this one so much different from the Addams family however is the tone of the musical. In the Addams family there was heavy emotional investiture with big solo songs and large amounts of drama that left me crying at the end every time. However we did not get nearly as much of the choreo as we get in Something Rotten, and I think that is what makes it so special. It truly felt like a packed stage almost the whole show and made the show so much fun. This made up for the fact that I truthfully was not as invested in the Bottom brothers musical but I loved watching it come to life and laughing along with the audience at it. 

Overall Something Rotten was excellent in its own way. While the deep characterization of the Addams family was missing somewhat, the pure spectacle and parade on stage was brilliant. In these ways Something Rotten set itself apart from the previous shows at Memorial and I think made a great impact in making sure that the huge amount of people who love being in musicals actually got a lot of stage time. SO if you have not seen the show then I would recommend watching it even though Memorial’s shows are over. It is sure to be a laugh and an amazing performance that will leave you loving musicals even more.