neadods: (theater)
neadods ([personal profile] neadods) wrote2015-07-04 08:19 pm
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Something Rotten

Holy crap, Something Rotten is one of the best shows I've seen in my entire life. Take Shakespeare and every musical of the last 50 years, throw them in a blender, and add some brilliant actors and watch them compete for Tonys.

It's the new A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, tone-wise (language wise, it's a definite R; there's a fair amount of swearing.)

And oh, my god, the homages. The Tony award number was only the start of it (and THAT had been cut down a little for the Tonys, too, leaving out Jesus Christ Superstar, Drowsy Chaperone, and Pippin.) I'll need to see it three times just to catch them all; the reaction to "raindrops on Rosencrantz" wiped out the next two lines, for example.

The plot is basically that the Bottom brothers need a hit but Shakespeare is getting all the love and attention and funding (and girls). Christian Borle reminded me of a young Tim Curry; he had such personal magnetism that I'm half surprised the cast didn't stick to him. (Borle himself was obviously aiming for Mick Jagger and hit the target dead center.) In desperation, Nick Bottom goes to Nostramdamus to find out the future of theater. The answer? "Musicals!"

Raindrops on Rosencrantz is the least of what happens next.

The scene that lingers longest, though, is the one where Shakespeare throws a private party for his fans. Watching someone in a black pleather codpiece grind to "Now is the winter of our discontent" is both hilarious and permanently life-scarring.
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[identity profile] badgermirlacca.livejournal.com 2015-07-05 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
What theatre?

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2015-07-05 12:04 pm (UTC)(link)
St. James.
ext_5608: (diva)

[identity profile] wiliqueen.livejournal.com 2015-07-07 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Brian James was a high school friend of Jack's, so I have great delight in seeing him in something that is both popular and, from everything I've been able to observe, thoroughly delightful. It's been a while. :-)

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
He may have lost the Tony, but he's on the new belle of Broadway, so that's got to be some compensation. Also I must say, I was struck not only by his talent - the show calls for singing, dancing, and tap dance - but damn, he's a fine looking man!
ext_5608: (diva)

[identity profile] wiliqueen.livejournal.com 2015-07-13 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I should think it's considerable compensation, yes. :-)

And he is indeed a fine looking man. I've only met him briefly, after I saw Titanic (in which he was the original Barrett the stoker), as I always managed to be out of town the couple of times he met up with Jack when he was in Columbus on tour.

[identity profile] penfold-x.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
Watching someone in a black pleather codpiece grind to "Now is the winter of our discontent" is both hilarious and permanently life-scarring.

I might need therapy just from your description @_@

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
The Today Show respectfully keeps it above codpiece level, but the song's right here.

My favorite song from the show (done out of costume): It's Hard to Be The Bard. "You can't even start, you remember that DAMNIT, your play's got to be in iambic pentameter!"