Stratford Festival's ‘Something Rotten!’ is a stupendous send-up to musical theatre and the Bard

After much shilly-shallying, Nostradamus (who is not the actual Nostradamus, but his far less gifted nephew Thomas Nostradamus) finally has an answer: “The biggest, most fantastic thing in theatre,” he declares, “will be musicals.”

It’s a eureka moment for Nick. And as he dreams of the possibilities of this new genre, he asks, rather rhetorically, “What could be more amazing than a musical?” 

A lot of things, actually — if it’s a bad musical, of which there are many. But I can tell you this: There are, indeed, few things more amazing than “Something Rotten!,” the musical comedy being remounted at the Stratford Festival after its hit run in 2024. 

In my review of the original production, I said there probably isn’t a musical better suited for Stratford than the uber meta “Something Rotten!,” with an infectious score by brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell. Two years later, I stand by those words.

This uproarious and ingenious show, a giddy fantasia for any musical theatre kid or Shakespeare lover, places the Bard and the genre of musical theatre on a collision course. And there’s no better home for it than at Stratford’s Festival Theatre, where shows like “Guys and Dolls” and “The Tempest”; “Rent” and “King Lear”; and “Chicago” and “Hamlet” can all coexist in any given year. 

I’m not sure “Something Rotten!” can be such a success anywhere else. (While the original Broadway production in 2015 ran for nearly two years, it received just a fraction of the critical and audience adoration compared to this made-in-Stratford version.) That’s because part of the joy of seeing this production is experiencing it alongside audiences who get every Shakespeare reference and every nod to classic musicals from a bygone era. (I only wish that O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick could have updated their book for this Stratford run, so that their numerous New York and New Jersey jokes could be transposed to Stratford instead.)

Then, there’s the fact that it being done at Stratford means it gets to receive the Donna Feore treatment. Among the numerous shows the Canadian director and choreographer has staged over the past decade, “Something Rotten!” remains one of her very best, with such large and bedazzling song-and-dance numbers that it almost doesn’t matter if they teeter on self-indulgence.

There are two numbers, in particular, that quite literally stop the show. One follows Nostradamus as he explains the concept of musical theatre to Nick, accompanied by a high-kicking, chorus line of minstrels. The other arrives after Nick tests his luck again, asking Nostradamus to foretell Shakespeare’s most popular play.

This time, however, the far-from-all-knowing seer hilariously misses the mark, predicting that the Bard’s single greatest play will not be “Hamlet” but a breakfast-themed drama called “Omelette,” filled with ham and danish pastries. It’s no matter for Nick, though, who takes this idea and runs with it, teaming up with his reluctant younger brother Nigel (Henry Firmston) to create “Omelette: The Musical.” 

In these two songs, the Kirkpatrick brothers take the idea of musical pastiche to its wittiest extremes. In their music and lyrics, along with Glen Kelly’s musical arrangements and Larry Hochman’s orchestrations, they nod to everything from “Les Misérables” and “Man of La Mancha” to “Rent” and “Annie.” 

Feore extends these pastiches with her choreography, paying homage to dance luminaries such as Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, Jerome Robbins and even herself. (A high-flying tumbling pass from ensemble member Devon Michael Brown recalls a similar feat he pulls off in Feore’s revival of “Guys and Dolls” this season.) Meanwhile, Michael Gianfrancesco’s costumes offer a dazzling look back at Stratford’s many musical productions through the ages. 

Much of the cast is the same as the initial 2024 run. As the angsty elder Bottom brother, Uhre possesses a powerhouse voice and underscores his character’s cutthroat hunger for success. Opposite him, Firmston plays the rather dorky Nigel with sweet charm.  

Starr Domingue, reprising her role as Nick’s wife, Bea, who takes on a variety of odd jobs to support her husband, turns various small cameos into big comedic moments, even if her singing at times falters. And as coyish Portia, who mortifies her puritanical father (played by Juan Chioran) after she falls for Nigel and his poetry, Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane has winning chemistry with Firmston.

At the end of Nostradamus’ first-act showstopper, the bumbling soothsayer promises that Nick will have on his hands a “star-lit, won’t-quit, big-hit musical.” He may be quite off on that one. But as for “Something Rotten!,” it’s every bit a Stratford big-hit musical, and more.