by Jeannie Marlin Woods
Milords and ladies: get thyself over to Chatham. N.Y. for an undeniably riotous, rollicking evening of song, dance, and hilarity. The charming Mac-Haydn Theatre’s latest production is SOMETHING ROTTEN and it is a glorious theatre experience not to be missed. If you love musicals and love (or hate Shakespeare), SOMETHING ROTTEN literally has it all.
The tremendously clever book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell offers a simple story: It’s the 1590’s and two brothers struggle to keep their London theatre open by creating something new. What to do but engage a diviner who can see the future of theatre? The seer flashes on the future and predicts success will come by creating a new form: the world’s first musical! The result is “Omelet, the Musical!” –an amazing mashup of plots, characters, and now famous Shakespearean lines with snippets of practically every American musical from the golden age onward. Along the way the rapid-fire, witty dialog is buoyed by a sparkling score by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick as well as the happiest of dances, old-school tap dance. What’s not to like?
Director John Saunders has assembled a vibrant young cast of performers who absolutely sing and dance their hearts out. Beginning with “Welcome to the Renaissance” (led by a glorious Amber Mawande-Spyteck as the Minstrel) we are immediately immersed into the world of Shakespearean London—warts and all. You have your Bubonic plague, your Puritans, and of course your poets. Our fledgling heroes, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, struggle to find a way to survive in the shadow of that rock star of poetry, William Shakespeare. This Shakespeare is outrageous and compelling, sporting sexy black leather and an arrogant swagger. Xander James turns in a dynamic, waggish rendition as the Bard and knave.
This entertaining Elizabethan pastiche could easily sink under its own weight, the jokes and parodies come so fast and furious. But director Saunders and associate director and choreographer Mandy Modic have done a fabulous job of casting and staging a big, big show in the intimate theatre space. The 10 principles and the dozen members of the ensemble are steadfast and confident with numerous standout performances. Most of the lyrics and dialogue are clear, and the split-second musical spoofs are brilliantly captured with a gesture or a prop. The laughs keep coming, but the sweet rivalry between the brothers and the romantic subplots are not forgotten, so it is easy to really empathize with our heroes.
Andrew Burton Kelley as Nick Bottom and Jake Koch as Thomas Nostradamus in the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Xander Tsunodo as William Shakespeare in the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Amber Mawande-Spytek as Minstrel. in the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Kylan Ross as Nigel Bottom and Belle Babcock as Portia in the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Cast of the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Tristan Caldwell as Brother Jeremiah in the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Kevin Weldon as Lord Clapham/Master of Justice in the Mac-Haydn Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” directed by John Saunders. Photo by Ann Kielbasa 
Andrew Burton Kelly is amiable and passionate as the older brother, Nick Bottom. He’s an extremely fine singer and terrific actor who is indefatigably entertaining. As his younger Nigel Bottom, Kylan Ross is well-matched with Kelly. Also a talented song and dance man, Ross is charming and delightful, especially in the romantic scenes with his Puritan girlfriend, Portia. Belle Babcock is enchanting as the sweet-faced innocent Portia. Madison Stratton plays Bea, Nick Bottom’s steadfast wife. Stratton is a spectacular performer—her powerful and beautiful voice and charismatic rendition of the wife who disguises herself as a man to keep the household afloat is truly memorable.
The SOMETHING ROTTEN cast is a marvelous ensemble, playing multiple roles, constantly changing costumes as characters. Jake Koch turns in a hilarious performance as the seer, Nostradamus—shape shifting as he intuits the future of theatre. Tristan Caldwell fully embraces the contemptible and peevish Puritan, Brother Jeremiah—making for an effective villain. And Alan Highe effectively captures the theatre loving moneylender who dreams of being a producer.
SOMETHING ROTTEN is dazzlingly entertaining. No need to wait for the big song and dance showstopper at the end—this show is chock full of huge dance numbers from the get-go. Saunders and Modic choreographed marvelous numbers, one after the other—predominantly high energy tap dance enriched with snippets of Fosse, ballet, and every other dance form in the American musical. The dance is joyful and hilarious—especially the dance of the eggs in the musical “Omelet.”
Emma Cummings has designed a set as clever as this show. With multiple entrances, we feel like we are in an Elizabethan city and theatre and the changes of scene are slick and efficacious. Clay Cates’ silly and inventive props are very imaginative and useful in keeping up with the fast-moving times and places. Lighting by Andrew Gmoser is exceedingly effective in pulling the scene altogether. A tremendous shout out goes to costume designer Bethany Marx. SOMETHING ROTTEN must have over 100 costumes and the valiant 22-member cast donned one after another with remarkable aplomb. The look of the show is colorful jewel-tones, a little ragtag, somewhat comfortable—in other words, perfect. Finally, one must acknowledge the excellent Eric Shorey, the exuberant Musical Direction. The accompaniment was tad loud at times, but it fully captured the happy and playful score.
SOMETHING ROTTEN is enthusiastically recommended for a truly fun night at theatre. It plays through September 1st—don’t miss it!
Credits
Book: Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
Music and Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
Director: John Saunders
Associate Director and Choreographer: Mandy Modic
Music Director: Eric Shorey
Assistant Music Director: Matt Levinson
Arrangements: Glen Kelly
Orchestrations: Larry Hochman
Scenic Design: Emma Cummings
Lighting Design: Andrew Gmoser
Costume Design: Bethany Marx
Props Design: Clay Cates
Sound Design: Sean McGinley
Hair & Makeup Design: Emily Allen
Cast:
Minstrel Amber Mawande-Spytek
Brother Jeremiah Tristan Caldwell
Portia Belle Babcock
Shakespeare Xander James
Nick Bottom Andrew Burton Kelly
Nigel Bottom Kylan Ross
Lord Clapham/Master of Justice: Kevin Weldon
Shylock Alan Highe
Bea Madison Stratton
Nostradamus Jake Koch
Ensemble
Bella DePaola, Molly Engelhardt, Conor Fallon, Cydney Gleckner, Jared Goodwin, Jack Iovanella, Tanner Kirol, Clementine Kline, Taye Martin, Fiona Phelps, Adeline Trivers, Anthony Michael Velez
Information
SOMETHING ROTTEN runs August 15 through September 1st, Wednesday through Sunday. For tickets call (518) 392-9292 or see website: www.machaydentheatre.org.
Running time: 2 ½ hours with one intermisiion
Mac-Haydyn Theatre
1925 Route 203, Chatham, N.Y. 12037
Closing date: September 1