BWW Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! at JCC Centerstage Theatre

After nearly 16 months without setting foot in a physical performance venue, it was such a thrill to return to the 'theatre' this past weekend to enjoy an afternoon of Shakespeare-inspired absurdity, laughing and applauding in the company of *gasp* other human beings. No, it wasn't technically the Centerstage Theatre that we're used to; the show took place under the 'Dawn Lipson Canalside Stage', a large covered tent being utilized by the JCC and other community arts organizations until this fall, when most theatre and performing arts companies in Rochester will be returning to full in-person performances. Yes the Sunday matinee performance I attended was rainy and overcast, but it was the perfect weather for a musical taking place during 16th century England, adding a distinctly British flair that no tech crew could ever recreate indoors. Something Rotten!, one of the great musical comedies of the last 20 years, was the perfect antidote to a theatre-less year in which surely we were all growing tired of Zoom play readings and what icon Tracy Letts lovingly referred to as 'computer theatre' in a recent New York Times interview.