Something Rotten! In Concert – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Richard Fleeshman in Something Rotten! In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London. Picture: Pamela Raith

Something Rotten! In Concert was performed at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Broadway musical Something Rotten! was supposed to make its UK premiere at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2020, but our old friend Covid derailed those plans. Quite how the show hadn’t already made its way over the pond before that is a mystery, with its Monty Python-esque spoofery of the history of William Shakespeare seeming a great fit for UK audiences.

A few years on, we now have our chance to see the musical, as a concert production plays at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane this week. With leading funnymen Jason Manford and Gary Wilmot bringing the laughs along with West End multi-talent Richard Fleeshman and Broadway belter Marisha Wallace, the irreverent comedy musical is finally here, with tap-dancing eggs, songs about the Black Death, and more musical theatre references than you can “Shake” a “spear” at.

Nick Bottom (Manford) and his brother Nigel (Cassius Hackforth) run a theatre troupe, which also used to include a certain William Shakespeare (Richard Fleeshman), before he found success and made it big on his own.  The Bottoms are rehearsing their new production around Richard II, but discover Shakespeare has already beaten them to the story. Desperate for a hit in order to build better lives for themselves and Nick’s wife Bea (Marisha Wallace), Nick and Nigel scramble for a new idea. A chance meeting with Nostradamus’ nephew Thomas (Gary Wilmot) brings solutions from the future, with Nick hoping to steal Shakespeare’s biggest future success and write it first. However, the predictions are wildly misinterpreted, and lead Nick and Nigel to start writing the trainwreck that is ‘Omelette, The Musical’.

That Something Rotten! was an American success and only reaching British audiences nearly 10 years later is frankly baffling, as the piece both celebrates and lovingly mocks British theatrical sensibilities with witty humour and charm, along with being brilliantly funny. The show felt a little forced on Broadway, feeling very much “an American’s view of British history”, but played here with a slight lean into pantomime buffoonery, it absolutely works.

The book (Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell) is sharp and quick-witted and guarantees the jokes come at a healthy pace. Musically it’s also very strong (music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick), with shades of the ‘golden era’ musicals about it, rich and tuneful from the outset, and also jam-packed with seemingly endless references to other musicals. This culminates in the fantastic ‘A Musical’ number, where Nostradamus explains the concept of musicals to a bemused Nick, a brilliant seven minutes which goes to wonderful comedic lengths to explain why we love this business they call Show. This is one of the musical’s strengths, in that it’s very much a show for “show people”, those who love this art form and will wring joy out of every nod, joke and allusion to all of the other musicals that they love.

When you see that a concert production such as this one is being put together by Fourth Wall Live and the London Musical Theatre Orchestra (LMTO), quality is immediately assured with their track records speaking for themselves, and Something Rotten! continues their brilliant streak. The production is slick, clearly well rehearsed and thought out, and sells the material brilliantly. Conducted by Freddie Tapner, the LMTO sounds as glorious as always and brings reliable depth and richness to the music. Sound and lighting, which can so often tarnish these types of productions, are excellent, particularly impressive for the debut performance.Perhaps inevitably in its concert presentation, some of the tightness of the comedy is lost, with the performers not yet knowing how audiences will respond to jokes and how to subsequently time responses, but it was obvious how strong the chemistry and repartee could quickly become if the show were to have a further life.

Manford is his reliable everyman self as Nick, which works, and also gets to show off his really rather good voice. Wilmot demonstrates why he’s had such a long stage career and gets to steal the scenes he’s in, showing off that enviable comic timing. Wallace brings her usual sunshine and warmth to Bea, her voice sounding as great as ever and she shows a knack for being funny too.

Newcomer Hackforth makes an endearing impression as Nigel, showcasing a charming vulnerability and hopefully this is the start of big things for him. But the show belongs to Fleeshman, who swaggers around the stage like a caddish Jack Sparrow and clearly loves every second of it. It’s a great reminder of what a fantastic actor Fleeshman is, not to mention the strength of the vocals that he puts behind his performance, and he’s an absolute knockout in this. He’s been gone from our stages for too long and we can only hope this marks the start of a regular return for him.

Something Rotten! is true musical comedy in the best sense of both of those words, and this concert production directed and co-choreographed by Tim Jackson is one of the funniest and more joyous nights out you’ll have this year. Fans of Spamalot and The Producers will find the same madcap humour here, and it’s an absolute love letter to the world of musicals. We really hope this concert is the start of a successful longer life for the show, because Something Rotten! is actually something brilliant.

Rob Bartley