Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Haddonfield Plays & Players is Anything But Rotten

Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom (CJ Kish and Brian Herrick) are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as "The Bard." When a local soothsayer (Joe Carlucci) foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz.

“Something Rotten!” marks Haddonfield Plays & Players penultimate play of their 2023 season. Directed by Al Fuchs, this show is anything but rotten.

The show starts with the Minstrel, portrayed by Emily Kimble, assisted by the cast, serenading the audience with “Welcome to the Renaissance”, setting the scene of the times. This is a new age for England. The song tells the audience of the blossoming culture after the Middle Ages including new fonts for the printing press, a way to freeze meats, and of course the wide array of well-versed writers, none of which compare to the popularity of the infamous Shakespeare (Mike Doheny).

In the shadow of Shakespeare’s success, CJ Kish as Nick Bottom begrudgingly sings “God, I Hate Shakespeare”, expressing how much he is annoyed by the ruckus surrounding The Bard. With an Elvis-like provocativeness and popularity, everyone swoons over the celebrity Shakespeare (and he even rocks leather pants). Mike Doheny’s representation of Shakespeare (a role for which Christian Borle won a Tony award for his Broadway portrayal) is hilarious and witty.

CJ Kish and Brian Herrick do an amazing job of grounding the production and spearheading the fun. Almost constantly onstage, Kish is a star, especially flaunting his tap-dancing skill in “Bottom’s Gonna Be on Top” when he does a dance-off with Shakespeare.

The theatre’s cast is fantastically funny. Honorable mentions definitely include Dustin Fife as Lord Clapham, Drew Russel DuBoff as Shylock, Sara Flail as Portia, and Glen Funkhouser as Brother Jeremiah.

HP&P Artistic Director and “Something Rotten!” scenic and lighting designer, Chris Miller, creates a setting that is transformable and hints to the time-period while allowing plenty of room for the elaborate musical numbers in the show. The musical is jam-packed with show-stopping musical numbers, many of which include tap dancing, all choreographed by Jenn Colleluori. The greatest of these is the dazzling spectacle “A Musical” spearheaded by the hilarious Joe Calucci as Nostradamus. In this musical number, the soothsayer explains how musicals will be the greatest thing in theatre. The song makes many references to popular musicals throughout recent years and is a treat for all theatre lovers.

Another flamboyantly fabulous number is “Make an Omlette”. Nostradamus humorously confuses Shakespeare’s greatest future hit, “Hamlet”, as being “Omlette”. The song is the Bottom Brother’s uproarious premiere of the new play about eggs including several ensemble members dressed as eggs themselves.

It is not only the great dancing that makes this performance pop, but the casts’ amazing vocal ability under the tremendous vocal direction of Andre Vermeulen. Danielle Defassio’s Bea, Nick Bottom’s wife, is particularly heart-warming and comical, especially in her song “Right Hand Man”. And all of the harmonies in the large and small ensemble numbers are clear and balanced.  

What is so clever about this show is all the allusions to Shakespeare’s timeless plays. Everything from content to character names is fair game and even the title of the musical itself is taken from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Something that also makes this play stand out is the way it “breaks the fourth wall” clearly relating to the audience as the action unfolds.

Rounding out the cast is an amazing ensemble including Andrew Bank, Jessica Brotherton, Jared Camacho, Corey Critelli, Danielle Houpt, Marisa Knipfer, Ryan Lynd, Clair McDermott and David Mooney-Todd.

This musical comedy is a must-see. Whether you are a theatre fanatic, a Shakespeare diehard, or a newbie to the world of drama, there is something in this show for everyone and this play is sure to please. It is endearingly entertaining.

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