Camelot Theatre’s Something Rotten!: An Entertaining, Energetic, Raucus, Fun, Musical Comedy Romp

Great news for the Southern Oregon theater-going public: live theater is back post Covid and in a big way, at least at Talent, Oregon’s Camelot Theater. The show on the boards there now, the 2015 Broadway hit Something Rotten!, is not only as good as anything here pre-Covid – it’s better! Plan on being mesmerized by the high energy antics of a talented and enthusiastic cast, laughing till it hurts at nonstop humor, being awed by spectacular choreography from start to finish, appreciating a well done set and stage including gorgeous projected backgrounds, and not the least, rocking to an excellent live band of top notch musicians. I’ve been attending and reviewing theater here for a decade, and nothing that came before can compare to this production of Something Rotten! for the enjoyment delivered during 2 hours in a theater.

The show, Something Rotten!, is a parody of Broadway musicals, chock full of never-ending references to the litany of musicals which preceded it, set in the conceit of a hilarious spoof of Will Shakespeare, the playwright, and much of his canon of works. It opened on Broadway in 2015, ran through 2017, was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and then went on a U.S. National tour from 2017-2019. It has been compared to Monty Python’s Spamalot, Mel Brooke’s The Producers, and Trey Parker (yes, THAT Trey Parker – South Park) and co.’s The Book of Mormon. It generates that level of hilarity. It is set in the 90’s (that’s 1890’s Shakespearean England) but applies the conventions of a 21st Century Broadway, New York, USA, which, of course, generates an almost inexhaustible stream of humorous anachronisms, e.g. “This is the ‘90’s! By 1600, women will be equal to men!”

The basic plot (and I won’t spoil the show for you by giving away too much detail – you should go see it and enjoy it, fresh, for yourself) is strung around two aspiring playwright brothers (Nick and Nigel Bottom, a name top-heavy for humor), who are contemporaries of Shakespeare, but lacking the fame, respect, wealth and work product of the celebrated, practically worshipped, master of Elizabethan Theater. Shakespeare, in this telling, is a cad, a rake, a fraud who steals his material from others. One of the brothers (Nick) uses a soothsayer (Nicodamus – no not that Nicodamus, but his nephew Thomas Nicodamus) to try to ascertain what will produce a future success for the famous Bard, so he can appropriate the device for the brothers to use first to produce their own hit. (This, of course, is a form of thievery as well). Except that, while Nicodamus has some visions of Shakespeare’s future, in his seeing they’re mangled, leading the Bottom brothers hilariously astray.

The plot is layered with additional story lines, e.g., younger brother Nigel, a poet, encounters and falls in love with a young maiden, Portia, who shares his love of poetry and reciprocates the affection. She is the daughter of a Puritan minister, Brother Jeremiah, who cannot abide the temptations and depredations of the theater and those in its employ, like the Bottom brothers. Older brother, Nick, struggles with finances, and an ambitious wife who, contrary to the mores of the times, desires to be outside the home, working as the men do. Eventually, their dilemma is intensified with a baby on the way. All of this provides the framework for injecting roiling humor, and never-ending dancing, prancing, and energetic antics from opening to finale.

Now, some notes on the Camelot cast and production. The principal actors and actresses in this show collectively and individually all impress by delivering enthusiastic, energetic, electric, highly physical, polished performances. I must start by recognizing two of the actors, whose performances were so galvanizing, so extraordinary that they commanded the stage and the audience’s attention as they performed their roles. Cody Petit was larger than life in the persona of a fast and loose Will Shakespeare, throwing all caution to the wind, going for the rafters as a thoroughly depraved, and quite likeable, rogue. It also helped that he has a good voice and can sing.

In a show chock full of hilarious and dramatic moments, those when actor Rigo Jimenez was performing as the comic serious soothsayer, Nostradamus, stand out. In a preposterous role, in an implausible situation, Rigo’s performance made it real and believable, while providing the humor the writers incorporated in the scenes. It’s been my privilege to see Mr. Jimenez perform in over a dozen shows dating back to 2015 (including cross-dressing butler Jacob in 2015’s La Cage Aux Follies, King Philip in Lion in Winter that same year, nurse Steve Borrego in 2016’s Solomon’s Blade, multiple parts in 2017’s Ghost, and more). He could always be relied upon to give a notable performance, but I must say, over time he has polished his dramatic skills and honed his chops. I have said it in previous reviews but mean it more so now: this was his “best Camelot role.”

It’s not my intention to detract from the performances of the other thespians who performed in this show. They were uniformly of high quality. Evan Heintz pulled off the feat of carrying out duplicitous, devious, shameful pursuits, while making his character, Nick Bottom, sympathetic and likable, all the while singing and dancing magnificently like a vaudevillian.

Declan Whitworth was completely believable as the love-struck romantic poet brother, Nigel Bottom, and the chemistry worked between him and the target of his affection, Aubrey Campbell, as Portia. Ms. Campbell’s role had her running the gamut from amorous glee to depressed isolation to drunken stupor, to defiant independence and she pulled it off splendidly.

Katie Joos, as the frustrated wife Bea Bottom, carried off multiple costume changes and personas to go with them, superbly eliciting the humor the writers sometimes invested in her character. Zach Virden was amusing and entertaining as the Puritan minister, Brother Jeremiah. Zaq Wentworth, another accomplished Camelot veteran, held the audience’s attention, opening the show and provided some nice singing in fine voice, as the Minstrel.

The members of the ensemble were busy with constant dancing, physicality, mugging and singing. Hats off to Camelot veteran, the alluring Shannon Carter, who seemed to anchor the center of most of the ensemble dance numbers, like the glue that holds it together. The contributions of Chalise R. Kadin, Devon Farmer, MaxBruhn, Steven Orton and Alyssa Hertzog should also be acknowledged.

Two more major elements of this production must be applauded. In all of the many years I have been attending and reviewing theater in Southern Oregon, this show had the absolute best choreography. Choreographer Rebecca K, Campbell had these performers in constant, energetic motion; beautiful, coordinated, magnetic, hypnotic, athletic – my words cannot do justice to the magic on display on that stage. In an effort to better convey the magnificence of the choreography in this show, here is a slide show with some of the highlights:

Finally, acknowledgement and kudos must be given to the live band – their music really was the glue that held this show together, so kudos to Keyboardists Karl Iverson, Ron Ochs, and Travis Sheets, Trumpeters Bruce Dresser and Jake Hershey, Trombonist Geo Betus, Guitarists Will Lowery and Evan Davidson, Bassist Ryan Johnson, Violinists Beth Martin and Trinity Psalm, Percussionist Nelson Cornejo, and Reed Player Tatjana Luce.

Performances of Something Rotten! continue through July 16 at Camelot Theatre, 101 Talent Avenue, Talent, Thursday thru Saturday 8:00 pm, Sunday Matinees 2:00 pm. For tickets: order online at https://bit.ly/449ANHI, or call the box office at 541-535-5250, or in person at 101 Talent Avenue, Talent, Oregon.

All photos by Chelsea Fine Photography