MomMomOnTheGo got a chance the other night to head on down to Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park Vancouver, BC to see another Theatre Under the Stars performance. This time around, we got to see Something Rotten!
BROADWAY’S DELIRIOUSLY ENTERTAINING BLOCKBUSTER HIT
In the streets of Elizabethan England, William Shakespeare is a Renaissance rock star while playwright siblings Nick and Nigel Bottom are stuck in his shadow.
Desperate to write a hit show, the Bottom brothers enlist the aid of a mysterious soothsayer who foresees they can beat the Bard’s success by creating a brand new form of theatre… the musical!
Hilarity ensues and absurdity reaches new heights, in this satirical spectacle that pokes fun at everything audiences adore about Broadway. Featuring show-stopping song and dance, a wacky cast of characters, and gut-busting comedy, Something Rotten! is a love letter to the sequined, splashy, and spectacular form called the musical.
“The funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years!” – Time Out New York
Credit: TUTS
The venue is located in the beautiful and iconic Stanley Park.
I was so excited to have a gorgeous, clear night for this performance. A few tips for attending is to wear a bit of bug spray and bring a jacket or blanket as it does cool off as the night goes on. Also, as you walk in, you can borrow a seat cushion for your chair…I recommend grabbing one.
The performance is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes which includes one 15-minute intermission.
There are port-a-potties on site, which are closed during the performance. There are also full service washroom facilities just across the TUTS entrance that you can access all night long.
In every performance that I go to see, there is always at least one performer that really stands out or catches my eye. Quite often it is a mail cast member. For Something Rotten! there were two performers that really stood out for me…
Nostradamus, played by Jyla Robinson, was a quirky, fun, and entertaining character. It was laughs to be forthcoming as soon as Nostradamus appeared on the stage. The audience certainly agreed with me on the performance by Jyla Robinson as was demonstrated at the end of the show with the loud cheering when Jyla took her final bow.
There was one performer form the Cast-Ensemble that caught my eye from the first moment that they stepped onto the stage to their final exit and that was Joaquin Little who player Peter Quince and Master of the Justice. I noticed Joaquin in his role as Peter. The energy and expression that Joaquin put into his role as Peter was amazing. You could see and feel his energy right from the stage to the back of the house. Joaquin performed in a way that made you feel as an audience member that he was connecting and performing for you specifically. The beaming energy, smiles, and expressions made it clear that while on stage, Joaquin was Peter and was enjoying every minute of bringing this character to the audience.
Something Rotten! as a whole was quite funny. Many a times the audience was laughing. There were references within the play that the younger crowd might not get, but for the adults, they were hilarious and well integrated within the story line.
The stage was also done up quite well. I was impressed with how the stage looked and how smoothly all transitions went when changes in scenes were required.
I would definitely say that Something Rotten! is a must see performance.
You might also be aware that We Will Rock You is also currently running with Theatre Under the Stars. MomMomOnTheGo also saw We Will Rock You and provided a review of our experience.
If you are trying to decide whether to see Something Rotten! or We Will Rock You, I have to say it is a hard choice. I recommend see both performances. If you have to choose, decide between if you want to see a comedy in Something Rotten! or listen to amazing performances of Queen’s music in We Will Rock You. I thoroughly enjoyed both shows and would go see them both again.
Something Rotten! has 19 performances left at the time of this review. The closing performance is on August 26th, 2022. You can check out show times and dates on the official Something Rotten! TUS website.
We Will Rock You also has 19 performances left at the time of this review. The closing performance is on August 27th, 2022. You can check out show times and dates on the official We Will Rock You TUTS website.
To find out more about Theatre Under the Stars, make sure to check them out here…
Disclosure: MomMomOnTheGo is often provided product, tickets, or compensation for the purpose of conducting reviews. As always, MomMomOnTheGo only supports companies, products, and services that she loves.