Synopsis
Set in Renaissance England, Something Rotten! follows brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, struggling playwrights desperate to outshine their contemporary, the wildly popular William Shakespeare. When a soothsayer predicts that the future of theatre will involve singing, dancing and acting all at once, the brothers set out to create the world’s first musical. What follows is a joyful mash-up of mistaken prophecies, over-the-top showmanship and witty tributes to musical theatre itself. Bursting with clever wordplay, exuberant song-and-dance numbers, and a healthy dose of Elizabethan absurdity, Something Rotten! is a gleeful celebration of creativity, ambition and the enduring magic of the stage.
Reviews
“Channeling Tim Curry, Borle is an uproarious scene-stealer who delivers big time in the flashiest part. But it’s the enormously appealing James’ prickly humor and natural charisma that anchor this highly entertaining show.”
The Hollywood Reporter
“And what a cast. If you didn’t already know what a smashing actor and singer Brian D’Arcy James is (he briefly stole the show earlier this year in Hamilton), here is a chance to see him carry a show with wit, fire and some impressive tap moves. Of course with an ensemble this good, the carrying is shared: Cariani squirms adorably; Blickenstaff’s radiant as Nick’s sensible wife; Brooks Ashmanskas flounces about as a closeted puritan; and Borle steals his scenes as the cocky, narcissistic, plagiarizing Shakespeare. You can bet the Swan of Avon is rolling in his grave—with laughter.”
TimeOut
Playbill’s My Life in the Theatre
On 2 December 2025 Playbill released an interview with Brian on Youtube under their My Life in the Theatre playlist. Below is a transcript from the video about his time with Something Rotten! – you can watch it here.
“Something Rotten!. Um, this was, you know, I was talking about, uh, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and how that was so fun to do because it was a comedy. This was appealing for the same thing. And I got to do my version of what the character had to offer in terms of the comedy.
But the people around me in that show, comedy geniuses. I mean, start with Christian Borle as Shakespeare. Incredible. Brooks Ashmanskas – any time you’re on stage with that man, at least I’ll speak for myself, I just look at him and I can’t stop laughing. He’s brilliant and I loved every second of working with him. Brad Oscar. Uh, I mean, that guy is um, he’s just one of the best.
And we had the great privilege of doing this great, you know, It’s A Musical number where I’ll never forget it. During the first preview, I know this happens, but it never happened to me where people stood up after the after the song and they wouldn’t they wouldn’t stop cheering. It was just so beautifully written by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, and John O’Farrell, and Casey Nicholaw directed this thing, and it was, it worked, and it was so thrilling because it was such a joy. It was a joyful romp of an experience.
John Cariani and I would stand behind this little, we had to make this entrance, we played brothers, and every night we’d be behind this little makeshift wall that would open up while the first number would start. And again, you know, like sitting in the cockpit of an airplane or a rocket just about take off. You know, John and I would have just, you know, be able to kind of just check in with each other and just kind of off we went. And it was it was just one laugh after another, not because of what the show was doing, but because of how much we loved each other.
That show is so special to me. And I think Karey and Wayne and John just made a really, really, really funny show. I was lucky to be in that.”