Something Rotten! Review – Manchester Opera House

★★★★★

Something Rotten! at Manchester Opera House is the long-awaited UK premiere of Broadway's gloriously unhinged musical comedy. This is a show overflowing with Shakespeare references, musical theatre in-jokes and rapid-fire wordplay, yet Tim Jackson's production never loses sight of the story beneath the spectacle. The question is whether this avalanche of gags can sustain genuine emotional investment, or whether audiences become overwhelmed.

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Something Rotten! follows struggling playwright brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, who are desperately trying to escape the shadow of the ultimate, stadium-filling celebrity, William Shakespeare. Seeking help from the eccentric soothsayer Nostradamus, Nick discovers that the future of theatre lies in an entirely new invention: the musical. Unfortunately, seeing the future is easier than interpreting it correctly, and the brothers stumble from one increasingly ridiculous catastrophe to another.

The genius of Something Rotten! has always been that every joke is built with almost obsessive precision. A moneylender named Shylock. A judge called Falstaff. Nick telling Shakespeare, "You won't make an ass of me." Even throwaway dialogue is meticulously engineered. The script fires references towards Shakespeare scholars, Musical Theatre obsessives and casual audiences simultaneously, yet rarely alienates anyone. Theatre fans gain extra satisfaction from recognising nods to Les Misérables, Hamilton, or The Book of Mormon, while everyone else simply enjoys beautifully executed comic storytelling. Jackson wisely refuses to play the evening with an exaggerated wink; the characters commit completely to their absurd reality, allowing the comedy to emerge from conviction rather than parody.

Jason Manford delivers a genuinely thoughtful Nick Bottom. His comic instincts are second nature, finding laughs in pauses and reactions the script barely calls for, yet he never loses the frustration that drives a writer permanently eclipsed by Shakespeare's celebrity. There are moments where those extra laughs inadvertently steal comic space from Cassian Hackforth's wonderfully sincere Nigel, whose Broadway counterpart provides more of the script's humour. Hackforth compensates by giving Nigel irresistible warmth and optimism, making the romance with Portia feel like the show's emotional reward rather than an interruption to the jokes.

The cast of Something Rotten! Photo Credit: Pamela Raith.

Richard Fleeshman is sensational. His Shakespeare is every inch the arrogant celebrity the script demands: swaggering across the stage like an Elizabethan Freddie Mercury before unleashing the astonishing vocals of "Will Power." I was sceptical after the promotional videos suggested something bordering on pantomime, but in context, his characterisation is pitch-perfect. Dare I say that I prefer this interpretation to Christian Borle's Tony-winning performance in this role? Every entrance feels like a standing ovation waiting to happen, and Fleeshman earns every cheer.

Marisha Wallace somehow steals scenes in a cast full of scene-stealers. "Right Hand Man" is a ferocious vocal workout, and Wallace attacks it with breathtaking ease, but the performance succeeds because Bea never becomes simply "the wife." Watching her evolve from bear-shit collector to Renaissance roadie before confidently stepping into law is quietly one of the show’s smartest pieces of storytelling.

Cory English proves exactly why Nostradamus has become such a fan favourite. Every unexpected entrance promises another wonderfully deranged vision of the future, and English relishes every absurd prediction. His delivery of "Cats! Yes, Cats, dancing on the stage!" is worth the ticket alone. The song "A Musical" remains a comic masterpiece, but this production adds references to Hamilton and The Book of Mormon, along with fresh visual gags, ensuring that it feels current.

Jason Manford (Nick), Cory English (Nostradamus), and the ensemble. Photo Credit: Pamela Raith.

The production surrounding them is lavish without becoming cluttered. Colin Richmond's set is so visually pleasing, the Elizabethan setting is recognisable but cleverly distorted. When paired with Howard Hudson’s lighting, you get intimate storytelling balanced with full-scale spectacle. Rebecca Brower's costumes cram visual punchlines into almost every scene. Mormon shirts and name badges are teamed with Renaissance breeches, while red thigh-high Kinky Boots are paired with traditional doublets. Every design choice participates in the joke rather than merely decorating it.

The evening isn't flawless. During "Bottom's Gonna Be On Top", the choreography asks Jason Manford to perform a tap dance battle with Richard Fleeshman. Instead of reinforcing Nick's triumph over Shakespeare, the illusion collapses immediately as it becomes blatantly obvious that Manford can’t tap-dance, as he embarrassingly skits around the stage like a toddler at a wedding disco, whilst Fleeshman performs a well-executed tap-dance. 

Even stranger, several ensemble tap routines feature recorded tap sounds that simply do not match the footwork being performed. In a production displaying choreography of this quality, those mismatches become surprisingly noticeable. 

Jason Manford (Nick) , Cassian Hackforth (nigel) and ensemble. Photo credit: Pamela Raith.

There are also many reminders of the show's American origins, where rhymes and rhythms force awkward pseudo-American pronunciation into otherwise distinctly British performances. I can forgive the Americanisation of ‘Renaissance’ for the song structure, but it happens throughout; one moment the company are speaking in regional accents, the next they’re transatlantic because the lyrics demand it. It’s not an issue, but it doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Those are remarkably small complaints against a production I can confidently say is one of the best pieces of Musical Theatre I’ve seen in a long time. Something Rotten! understands exactly why audiences fell in love with it on Broadway, yet never settles for imitation. It celebrates musical theatre while gleefully dismantling every cliché along the way. It is the funniest musical to reach the UK in years, and one of the most entertaining nights currently on any stage. Quite simply, this UK premiere proves there is absolutely Something Right about Something Rotten!.