“Welcome to the Renaissance” is the opening number from the inventively fun musical Something Rotten. In under three hours there will be romance, disguises, Shakespeare adoration (and hate) along with a learned and supremely ridiculous treatise about how musicals were invented and by whom.
I caught the final weekend of this show at the Old Town Playhouse in Traverse City. This is my first visit back since I was wholly impressed with what they did with Young Frankenstein in 2018. I was very interested to see how this amateur theater troupe would handle such a large and wildly broad comedy.
First, some context. I saw the Broadway show multiple times including on Opening Night. I was a very minor angel investor in that production. This was the first time I recall a single number (“A Musical”) blew the house away so completely it received a mid-Act standing ovation that went on and on. It is a very meta theater song and I was curious how that would translate outside the roar of the greasepaint crowd.
That number is indeed still a showstopper if slightly muted here given the choreographic demands of this phenomenal theatrical mash up. Many other songs hit their mark and then some. Stephen Prechtl’s Shakespeare was less sexpot egomaniac than Christian Borle’s original Tony winning characterization. His hairstyle and demeanor amusingly suggested a divinely better-than-thou Jesus walking on water while lamenting that it’s “Hard to Be the Bard”.
Shakespeare is the thorn in the Bottom brother’s sides. A winning Brian Jackson (Nick Bottom) seeks out Thomas Nostradamus (Eric Ranke) to figure out how to compete against the iambic pentameter stud. Naturally “A Musical” is the answer. Cue the hijinks, sit back and enjoy.
Portia (Emily Anderson) is a local beauty who lives under the puritanical rule of her secret-hiding father (Steve Ford). She loves poetry. Brother Nigel Bottom (Olivia Novarro) writes poetry. Is love in the air? Absolutely. The pairing of Ms. Anderson and Ms. Novarro was ideal. Their scenes and songs were supreme highlights. This particular subplot stood out for me in this incarnation more than the original.
Watching Nigel’s facial expressions made me laugh hard. Ensemble members also had their chance to take focus away from the talented principles, with especially notable turns from Kendall Kotcher and Aaron Wright. The joy expressed on stage by the entire cast was palpable.
Director Katie Clark kept this large cast moving swiftly through the funny and silly scenes. The choreography from Kate Botello nicely managed a large cast on a small stage with the added bonus from the requisite and well-performed tap dancing numbers. Heather “daMomma” Lockwood’s Set Design was spot on for the period with seemingly simple and extremely effective transitions.
Nostradamus belts out the true reason we go to see musicals. They are a “big and shiny / Mighty fine-y, glitter, glitz, and chorus line-y /
Bob your head and shake your hiney” American invention. A $28 ticket price compels mandatory attendance for theater (and omelette) lovers everywhere.