Review: Something Rotten! at Opera House Manchester

“…wild, raucous and riotously good fun…”

Something Rotten! by songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick, screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick, and comedy writer John O’Farrell, Opera House Manchester

By Hannah Molyneux

Something Rotten! promises mirth and merriment and it delivers in spades. Set in 1590s London at the height of Shakespeare’s prominence, it tells the story of down-on-their-luck writers Nick (Jason Manford) and Nigel (Cassian Hackforth) Bottom as they attempt to create a show to outdo the Bard (Richard Fleeshman) himself. Packed with showstoppers and peppered with modern references that draw big laughs, it embodies everything that’s exciting about the musical genre while at the same time poking affectionate fun at its many absurdities.

From its opening number, this production shines with an arresting vibrancy – Colin Richmond’s set draws the eye down alleyways and into windows, while Rebecca Brower’s costume design is bold and full of personality. I’m reminded how special a big chorus number can be when done properly and this one sets the tone perfectly for what is to come. 

This is a musical for musical-lovers and its success is in the fact that it never backs down – it knows what it is and every single member of the cast throws themself wholeheartedly into the joke. Manford is the everyman with an off-the-cuff delivery that makes it difficult to know at times what is scripted and what may be improvised. His relationship with Hackforth’s Nigel is warm and genuine, and Hackforth himself is so incredibly watchable. He gives Nigel just enough edge so as to not be reduced to feebleness while remaining charming and sweet. As Bea, Marisha Wallace has it all – knockout vocals, grounded humanity and a flair for comedic timing that lights up the stage. Richard Fleeshman’s Shakespeare exudes rockstar confidence and ego in a portrayal that parodies the Bard without ever straying into pantomime, and the whole audience (both onstage and in the auditorium) lap it up. There isn’t a weak performance across the whole cast, and the quality of the dancing is particularly spectacular.

There’s not much room for light and shade between the glitter and jazz hands (most of the nuance is carried sensitively by Hackforth and Carla Dixon-Hernandez as Portia) but although this show is about as subtle as a brick it’s hard to care too much. Yes, there are places where it seems to get over-excited – lines delivered slightly too quickly to allow the joke to land, a blackout that occurs a moment too soon – but it can be forgiven because the overall effect is just so joyous and captivating. 

Humour pervades every single aspect of the performance – it’s there in the script, of course, but also in the costumes, the choreography, the lighting. It takes seriously the job of not taking itself too seriously, highlighting in true Broadway style everything we love about musicals. It’s gloriously camp and cheesy and feels like a real celebration of what it is to enjoy theatre. By the interval, I notice my foot involuntarily tapping, and by the middle of Act II I just wanted to be in it. Something Rotten! is wild, raucous and riotously good fun. And if musicals turn out to be the food of love – second helpings please!

Something Rotten! plays at Opera House Manchester until Sunday 19 July. Tickets are available here.

Hannah Molyneux is a proudly Mancunian writer and musician whose day job revolves around community engagement. She is passionate about community arts and the huge benefits they have for people and places. Hannah can most often be found enjoying the great outdoors or optimistically crafting with her children. You can read more of her writing here. You can find her on Instagram here.