Something Rotten!

The musical began with an idea that brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick had had since the 1990s. They finally joined with John O'Farrell to write several songs and presented those songs and a treatment to the producer Kevin McCollum in 2010. The team then joined with Casey Nicholaw, who brought in several of the actors, resulting in the workshop in 2014.^[1]

Something Rotten! was expected to have a pre-Broadway tryout at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington, in April 2015. However, when a Broadway theatre became available, Kevin McCollum decided to open the show without the Seattle tryout. "David Armstrong, artistic director of 5th Avenue Theater, said ... that after the positive buzz surrounding the musical's workshop in October [2014], he and Mr. McCollum began discussing the possibility of the show bypassing Seattle in favor of Broadway."^[2] The developmental lab took place in New York City in October 2014 with Casey Nicholaw as director and choreographer.^[3]

Something Rotten! began previews on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 23, 2015, and officially opened on April 22, starring Christian Borle as William Shakespeare, Brian d'Arcy James as Nick Bottom, John Cariani as Nigel, Heidi Blickenstaff as Bea and Brad Oscar as Thomas. It was directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, with the sets designed by Scott Pask, costumes by Gregg Barnes and lighting by Jeff Croiter.^[4] The production closed on January 1, 2017 after 742 performances.^[5] It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won one (for Borle as Best Featured Actor in a Musical).

The show launched a US national tour with previews at Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York on January 10, 2017, before officially opening at the Boston Opera House on January 17.^[5] The tour cast featured Rob McClure (Nick Bottom), Adam Pascal (Shakespeare) and Josh Grisetti (Nigel Bottom).^[5]

The show also launched a Non-Equity national tour beginning on September 19, 2018 at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Georgia. The tour starred Matthew Janisse (Nick Bottom), Matthew Baker (Shakespeare), and Richard Spitaletta (Nigel Bottom) and was staged by Steve Bebout (associate director of the original Broadway production).^[6] In June 2019, the show played a short run of June 9–30 at the Chungmu Art Center Grand Theater in Seoul, South Korea, marking the final destination on the tour.^[7]

A Swedish-language production ran from November 8, 2018 to March 3, 2019 at the Wermland Opera in Karlstad, Sweden, directed by Markus Virta. The translation was by Calle Norlén.^[8]

A South Korean production in Korean was scheduled to run from August 7, 2020, to October 18, 2020, at the Chungmu Art Center Grand Theater.^[9] Some of the performances were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[10]

A Czech-language production played for two runs in June 19, 2021, and September 2021 to June 2022, at Nová Scéna, produced by J. K. Tyl Theatre, in Plzeň, Czech Republic. The production was directed by Lumír Olšovský. The translation was by Pavel Bár and Lumír Olšovský.^[11]

A production in Germany played from November 7, 2023 to January 14, 2024, at The English Theatre Frankfurt, directed and choreographed by Ewan Jones.^[12]

A production at the Canadian Stratford Festival began previews on April 16, 2024, and opened May 28 at the Festival Theatre, directed by Donna Feore.^[13][14] The production's run ended in October 2024.^[15]

A concert staging played at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London's West End on August 5 and 6, 2024. Jason Manford starred opposite Richard Fleeshman, Gary Wilmot, Evelyn Hoskins and Marisha Wallace. It was directed by Tim Jackson.^[16][17]

An Austrian production, the first German-language production of "Something Rotten!" (the earlier production in Frankfurt, Germany was in English), premiered on November 16, 2024, at the Landestheater Linz with Gernot Romic as Nick Bottom and Christian Fröhlich as Shakespeare. The production swapped the sexes of several minor characters: Lord Clapham was Lady Clapham (Alexandra-Yoana Alexandrova) and Nostradamus was Nancy Nostradamus (Daniela Dett).^[18]

The musical opens with the Minstrel welcoming everyone to the English Renaissance ("Welcome to the Renaissance"). He refers to Nick Bottom, who runs a theatre troupe with his brother Nigel. They are rehearsing for their upcoming play, Richard II, when Lord Clapham, a patron who trusts the brothers and raises funds for their troupe, enters to announce that Shakespeare is doing Richard II. The news outrages Nick, as Shakespeare has already done Richard III, and the thought of going backwards seems absurd to him. Lord Clapham leaves, telling the brothers he is stopping their funds unless they have another play by the next morning. Nick rants about his hatred of Shakespeare to the troupe members, who are horrified ("God, I Hate Shakespeare").

Nick and Nigel go home to their small house, and on the way Nick encounters Shylock the Jew. Shylock expresses a desire to help fund the troupe, but Nick rejects him as it is illegal to employ a Jew. Bea, Nick's wife, tells them the events of her day and how she acquired their dinner as she serves it. They are saving for a better life, and when Nick tries to open the Money Box, Bea pulls it away. Bea tells him how she could help them out, but Nick is ambivalent ("Right Hand Man"). Despite Nick's arguments, Bea goes out to do jobs that Nick claims are for men. As Nigel sleeps, Nick faces the real reason he hates Shakespeare: he makes Nick feel self-conscious ("God, I Hate Shakespeare" (reprise)). He wishes there was a way to top Shakespeare and steals from the Money Box to see a soothsayer. He finds a soothsayer named Thomas Nostradamus (the nephew of the famous soothsayer Nostradamus). Nick asks him what the next big thing in theatre will be, and Nostradamus says that it will be "a musical", a play where the speaking stops, and the story is told through songs. Nick thinks it is ridiculous but quickly warms up to the idea ("A Musical").

Later, Nick meets Nigel on the street. Nigel has just met Portia, the daughter of Brother Jeremiah; they immediately fall in love. Nick tells him that he shouldn't pursue her because she is a Puritan. After the Puritans leave, Nick tells Nigel about the musical idea but does not tell him about seeing Nostradamus. Nigel wants to do "The Brothers from Cornwall", the story of the two brothers' lives, but Nick vetoes saying it has to be bigger, and decides to do a play about the Black Death. The troupe performs a song for Lord Clapham ("The Black Death"). Lord Clapham is disgusted and deserts the troupe after Brother Jeremiah threatens to have Nick executed if he continues with his work.

Nigel sits down to try to write a new play. Portia sneaks out to see him, and they discover more about their similarities, especially in the way they both love poetry ("I Love the Way"). Nigel tells Portia he sent one of his sonnets to Shakespeare for feedback, before a messenger arrives with an invitation for Nigel to attend Shakespeare in the Park and an after-party. Nigel asks the messenger if Portia can be his "plus one", and the messenger agrees.

In the park, Shakespeare performs for the people ("Will Power"). Bea tells Nick she's pregnant, and he is ecstatic about being a father. Nick then runs in with Shylock, who also has an invitation to the after-party, and tells him that Nigel is attending it. Furious at Nigel, Nick goes to the party with Shylock to tell him off. At the after-party, Portia gets drunk, and Shakespeare asks to read Nigel's journal of poems and writings. Nick and Shylock arrive, and Nick chastises Shakespeare for trying to steal Nigel's ideas, as well as reprimanding Nigel for his naiveté. Brother Jeremiah then runs in to find a drunk Portia and once again admonishes Nigel. Desperate and out of options, Nick finally agrees to let Shylock invest in his play.

Nick goes back to Nostradamus with what he has left of the money he stole from the Money Box. He asks Nostradamus what Shakespeare's new hit is going to be. Nostradamus sees Hamlet but misinterprets it as "Omelette", among other mistakes such as the Prince eating a danish pastry rather than being a Danish prince. Nick gets excited at the possibilities of success and dreams of a future in which crowds cheer for him and Shakespeare bows down to him ("Bottom's Gonna Be on Top").

The Minstrel welcomes the audience back and tells them of the stresses that the Bottom brothers and Shakespeare face ("Welcome to the Renaissance" (reprise)). Shakespeare shows the stress he faces while trying to write hits and manage his fame ("Hard to Be the Bard"). A spy tells him that the brothers are trying to steal Shakespeare's upcoming hit. An excited Shakespeare decides to disguise himself as "Toby Belch" and audition for the brothers' troupe in order to steal the play.

Meanwhile, the troupe is rehearsing "Omelette: The Musical" ("It's Eggs!"). Shylock has become their new investor, though they cannot find a title that would make his role legal. When some of the actors become suspicious of Nostradamus and why he is at their theatre, Nick lies and says that Nostradamus is an actor. "Toby Belch" arrives at the theatre and is hired for the company. Shakespeare is surprised and confused to learn that his hit is about eggs.

Nigel sneaks out to London Bridge to see Portia, where he reads her another poem about his love for her. He worries about their future together, but Portia reassures him by saying that everyone, even Nick and Brother Jeremiah, will change their minds about their relationship when they hear Nigel's beautiful sonnets ("We See the Light"). Nigel is not very happy with "Omelette" and claims that it does not feel right. Brother Jeremiah interrupts the lovers and takes Portia away to be imprisoned in a tower for disobeying. Saddened by the loss of his love, Nigel becomes inspired to write a completely different play that is revealed to be Hamlet.

Nigel goes into the theatre the next day and tells Nick about his new improvements, and Shakespeare realises that this is his next hit, not "Omelette". Nick and Nigel get into a huge argument and Shakespeare tries to take advantage of their squabble to get his hit ("To Thine Own Self"). Nick is having qualms about "Omelette: The Musical" as well, but dismisses these doubts once he learned the musical is sold out. A hurt Nigel scrambles out onto the street and is confronted by Shakespeare, who steals his hit under the guise of "improving it". Later, Nigel runs into Bea, who explains to him that they should still trust Nick because they can always fall on him if they need him ("Right Hand Man" (reprise)).

Nick and the troupe prepare for the show ("Something Rotten!"). Once the audience arrives, they perform a bombastic dance number that has many references to modern-day musicals such as The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera ("Make an Omelette"). Towards the end of the number, Shakespeare takes off his disguise and reveals Nick's plot, horrifying Nigel and the troupe.

In court, Nick, Nigel, Nostradamus, and Shylock are on trial and are about to be sentenced to beheading when Bea enters disguised as a lawyer. She makes Nick confess that he stole from the Money Box and tells the judge that beheading him would be redundant because he has already lost his head. She has made a deal with Shakespeare that they will be exiled to America ("To Thine Own Self:" (reprise)). She says that they always wanted a new country house and they are getting a house in a new country. Portia then arrives, having escaped the tower. She renounces her father's ideals and joins the Bottoms, Shylock, and Nostradamus in exile.

They arrive in America and tell the audience of the new opportunities in the New World ("Finale"). They hear about the opening of Shakespeare's new masterpiece, Hamlet, to which Nostradamus replies "I was this close".

Source:^[19]

Ghostlight Records released the Original Broadway Cast Album of Something Rotten! on June 2, 2015 in digital music stores and July 17, 2015 on CD.^[20]

In the recording, "Something Rotten!" and "Make an Omelette" are combined into one track because of the brevity of the former.

The show includes references to numerous musicals. For example, during the song "A Musical", "Nostradamus and the chorus men don sailor hats, which harkens to several nautical-themed musicals, including South Pacific, Anything Goes, On the Town and Dames at Sea."^[21] The TheaterMania reviewer noted that the song "A Musical" "encapsulates the entire book-musical form in six hilarious minutes. It's so chock-full of witty references and energetic dance; it's hard to see how it could be topped."^[22] Variety also pointed out that the song "A Musical" "simultaneously celebrates and sends up everything we hold dear about this peculiar art form, from the 'jazzy hands' of Bob Fosse to the synchronized line dancing of the Rockettes."^[23]

The original casts of the major-market productions are as follows:

• Nick Bottom: Rob McClure
• Nigel Bottom: Josh Grisetti
• William Shakespeare: Will Chase, Adam Pascal
• Bea Bottom: Leslie Kritzer
• Portia: Catherine Brunell
• Lord Clapham/Master of the Justice: Edward Hibbert

• ​Something Rotten!​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• MTI entry