It’s baaaaack!

After a rip-roaring season as The Court Theatre summer musical (24 November to the 27 January 2024), Something Rotten! has returned.

Judging from the applause as the show began, and the cheering from the audience throughout the evening, this is going to be a sold-out season.

It’s England 1595 and playwright brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom (Jonathan Martin and Cameron Douglas) can’t compete with the rockstar popularity of a certain William Shakespeare (Matu Ngaropo). Desperate to out-Bard the Bard, Nick consults soothsayer Nostradamus (Paul Barrett) and learns that the next big thing in theatre will be a musical. This is unheard of in the 1500’s but the Bottom brothers set out to write the world’s very first musical, Omelette, while caught in a bitter battle with Shakespeare. There’s love, dozens of (often clever) verbal references or visual nods to well-known musicals, big dance numbers, fabulous costumes (ever seen a dancing omelette?) and, of course, the singing.

I saw Something Rotten! the first time round and this time it is even better. Although I can’t recall in which part of the first season I saw it, this return run seems to have enabled some of the performers to have a bit more fun with their characters, particularly Matu Ngaropo (Shakespeare), who has really honed his performance. He’s no slug performing chops-wise, with credits including Hamilton (original Australian company) and The Lion King (Australian Tour) but in the summer run of Something Rotten! he never seemed as strong and powerful as he should have been, playing Shakespeare the big rock star. Now though, watch out; Ngaropo is totally owning it, having fun and even playing to the audience; this is Elvis with a fair bit of Julian Clary thrown in. A highlight indeed.

Everything about this production works; the cast perform banger after banger supported by spot-on ensemble dance work, physical comedy and delivery. That said, I feel the first 10-15 minutes is a bit too fast, rushed. The pace is fast throughout but at the beginning some of the delivery is unclear and lost.

Court regulars will know Cameron Douglas and Jonathan Martin – the two Bottom brothers. They are outstanding. You know you’ve got a show in good hands when they are at the helm. Also exceptional is Monique Clementson (Bea – Nick’s wife), who I last saw in Rent, and she once again delivers as only a very talented performer can. ‘Right Hand Man’ which she sings with Jonathan is a real stand-out.

Paul Barrett is also a well-known Court performer and returns as Nostradamus after a run in the national tour of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He makes the physical comedy, combined with the singing and acting, look simple. A delight to watch. Bianca Paine (Portia – Nigel’s love interest) has a beautifully sweet voice and balances Cameron’s endearingly socially awkward Nigel perfectly.

The problem with naming performers is you’re never going to be able to include everyone and, believe me, they all should be named and acknowledged. As should the crew, musical director and musicians – yes, there are real musicians playing live, something a number of people around me did not realise. The costumes are fabulous and there are a lot of them; the set is simple so as not to detract from the costumes and the lighting is just right.

Something Rotten! was good the first time around and it’s even better the second.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

I come to view The Court Theatre’s summer musical Something Rotten almost two weeks into its nine-week run, and by now the show is into a smooth groove. This is The Court Theatre show I had wanted to see ever since it was announced – a comedy mashup of Shakespeare and musicals. My dream show!

Something Rotten is making its Australasian premiere at The Court Theatre and, after a rocky period for the theatre, a lot rides on its success. This show needs to deliver star power and it brings it in spades, from cast and creatives alike.

In a nutshell, our story takes us to Ye Olde Elizabethan England where the Bottom brothers, Nick (Jonathan Martin) and Nigel (Cameron Douglas), are struggling to make an impression on the theatre world thanks to the misfortune of having to compete with megastar Will.I.am (‘as in I-am-bic pentameter’) Shakespeare. This rockstar Bard is played with knowing, seductive swagger by Matu Ngaropo. Adored by fans wherever he goes, he is the bees-knees; he knows it and revels in it.

Taking the family’s hard-earned savings, Nick visits a soothsayer, Thomas Nostradamus (Paul Barrett) in an attempt to learn what the ‘next big thing’ in theatre will be, so that the Bottoms can, for once, gazump Shakespeare. No surprises to our audience – it’s the musical. Even better, if Nick can find out what Shakespeare’s biggest success ever will be (Hamlet), perhaps the Bottoms can turn the tables on Shakespeare and get to the story first.

Unfortunately, the world of prognostication is not an exact science (or a science at all), and Nostradamus slightly misinterprets Hamlet for Omelette. (But given that he correctly foresees a game of chess and a clowder of cats becoming mega-hits in the future, why not a dozen barn-fresh?) Along the ways are disapproving Puritans, the never-ending drama of securing financial backing, and the women’s rights movement.

From the moment the stunning black and white Tudor-esque illustrated curtains open we can see that this show will be big in every way. It has a huge cast (23 actors) for a Court show and a production crew so extensive that cast credits don’t even make it onto the programme’s production page. The creatives rule here. Apparently 75 have been involved in a process that has taken many months. The Court always boasts high production values and hosts clever creativity, and collectively this team has done a stunning job.

Directed by Benjamin Kilby-Henson, this show is fast paced, fun and exceedingly ‘extra’, and that is a perfect combo here. The set design by Dan Williams may be monochrome but it’s as far from bland as you can get – its black and white sixteenth century-style block-cut flats twist and morph into new facades and sets like Transformers. The lighting (designed by Darren McKane and Giles Tanner) brings it to life and seamlessly transforms scenes in focus, time and mood. The sound (Glen Ruske) is clear and spot on, with sound effects perfectly timed, and the music, led by rockstar musical director Richard Marrett is, predictably, perfectly on point.

I enjoy spotting props (Julian Southgate) that subtly give extra smiles, such as the Queen Elizabeth I ‘Like a Virgin’ poster, and the programmes of past Court musicals proudly integrated as part of the chorus action. Kyra Josephson’s choreography is modern, fabulous and joyous. I never imagined I would ever see jazz hands and puffling pants so brilliantly combined!

And the costumes – wow! From the moment the curtains open and we see the ensemble for the first time in their riotously coloured and patterned outfits, you know we are here to party like it’s 1599.  They pop against the muted background and add to the fairground, joyous vibe of the show. Tina Hutchison-Thomas and her team apparently made over 400 pieces for 127 major costumes. That alone deserves a round of applause.

When it comes to the cast, Ngaropo’s charisma fills the stage with his knowing, naughty and smug Shakespeare, exuding ‘Willpower’ off the stage and into the audience. He is, simply, brilliant. As the Bottom brothers, Martin and Douglas bring their lovable but unlucky characters to life with energy and humour. I am rooting for unsavvy businessman Nick to make ‘Omelette – the Musical’ work, against the odds, and for naïve slacker-poet Nigel to win his true love. Their respective love interests are Bea, Nick’s proto-feminist wife (Monique Clementson), and puritan Portia (Bianca Paine), who is in love with love and poetry. Paine imbues her with both sweetness and passion, and Clementson is always a stand-out. She throws herself into her role with gusto and shows off once again an incredible voice – strong, clear and beautiful.

Barrett’s canny, confused clairvoyant perfectly captures both incredulity at what entertainment will look like in the future, and just enough certainty to justify his fee. Cameron Clayton rounds out the leads as the undercover-camp Puritan preacher Brother Jeremiah, who finally fully shines when his pink sequins are revealed.

The ensemble is wonderful, and I am reminded just how talented the entire cast of shows like this must be, to act, sing and dance; and all with only five weeks of rehearsal! Two standouts for me are Ben Freeth, who seems to be constantly onstage in different guises as Shylock, Lord Clapham and in the ensemble (well done to the dressers for all the quick changes!), and Jared Pallesen as Robin/ Minstrel. His singing and swooning open the show and sets the perfect tone and high standard for everything that follows.

After two excellent but intense recent musicals (RENT and Next to Normal), it’s nice to have the joy back onstage at The Court Theatre. Something Rotten is fun and fabulous, and you will never see the theatre-world the same once you have witnessed a chorus line of dancing, bejewelled omelettes – unforgettable. If you love Shakespeare and/or musicals, there are dozens of in-jokes to enjoy, but even if you are not a committed fan of either, Something Rotten is so good and such fun that you will be laughing from start to finish, and humming some new show tunes after you leave.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer