Triangle Review, March 30, 2017 Issue, Part 4

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THE TRIANGLE REVIEW: Edited by Robert W. McDowell	A FREE Weekly Arts Newsletter March 30, 2017 Issue
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR PART 4 (April 5, 2017)

IN TODAY'S ISSUE (Part 4)

PART 4A -- BRITT THEATER REVIEW: Something Rotten! (Durham Performing Arts Center's SunTrust Broadway Series).

IN TONIGHT'S ISSUE (Part 5)

PART 5A -- McDOWELL THEATER PREVIEW: My Fair Lady (PlayMakers Repertory Company in the Paul Green Theatre at UNC-Chapel Hill).

NOTE: Please note that Triangle Arts and Entertainment (http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/) is Triangle Review's Internet partner. A dynamic regional website that covers art, theater, dance, music, and much, much more, Triangle Arts and Entertainment will reprint Triangle Review previews and reviews -- in their entirety -- in eye-pleasing magazine-style web page layouts, complete with photos and other graphics. -- R.W.M.

PART 4A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY DUSTIN K.BRITT

Durham Performing Arts Center Review

Something Rotten! at DPAC is a Theater Nerd's Dream

Rob McClure (left) as Nick Bottom upstages Adam Pascal as Shakespeare (photo © Jeremy Daniel)

"I find it hard to believe that somebody would actually pay to see something like this." -- Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!

Now in its fourth month, the National Tour of the 2015 original Broadway musical Something Rotten! is receiving the kind of cheers and ovations that hits are made of -- proving that audiences disagree with our protagonist's assessment of musical theater.

Tony Award®-winning director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, best known for Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Book of Mormon -- continues a track record of making lively, shiny, blockbuster theater with Something Rotten!, playing now through Sunday evening at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Autumn Hulbert and Josh Grisetti star as Portia and Nigel Bottom (photo © Jeremy Daniel)

With a Tony-nominated book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell and a Tony and Grammy-nominated score by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten! tells the story of two brothers in 1595 London. The talents of this pair of struggling writers are dwarfed by the ever-growing reputation of Renaissance Rockstar William Shakespeare.

This is the ultimate representation of the West End/Broadway musical. It follows all musical conventions and explains to its audience precisely its intentions: give folks a rip-roaring good time and make a whole lot of money.

Real-life husband and wife Rob McClure (right) and Maggie Lakis star
as Nick and Bea Bottom in Something Rotten! (photo © Jeremy Daniel)

The meta-musical is not a new fad. From 1962's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to 2009's [title of show], musicals have proven arguably that comedy finds success when it comments upon itself. It must take its craft seriously, but cannot take itself so.

Without a working knowledge of Shakespeare's work or musical theater's greatest hits, you may suffer from a lack of stimulation at this event. The plot is simple and the characters of limited dimension. The real treasure is buried -- sometimes quite deeply -- in dozens of references to the finest that Broadway and The Bard have to offer.

Fans of Falstaff and Fosse will laugh when they catch a favorite character's name or spot a flash of trademark choreography. Students of Shylock and Schwartz will grin when they hear a familiar bit of dialogue or recognize a musical phrase. If you are not a theater nerd, bring an interpreter.

Blake Hammond (left) and Rob McClure star as Nostradamus and Nick Bottom (photo © Jeremy Daniel)

Though the plot is not the most unique in theater history, the show has musical buoyancy on its side. The thrilling, epic ensemble numbers "A Musical" and "Make an Omelette" are worth the ticket price on their own merit. Something Rotten! works best when it is belting and tapping.

Scenic designer Scott Pask makes effective use of traditional backdrop rigging, while Jeff Croiter's masterful lighting design communicates myriad styles and settings. The colorful, exaggerated costumes of Gregg Barnes capture the Renaissance silhouette without distracting. Peter Hylenski's sound design is crisp and clear, while Phil Reno's band adeptly highlights the lively Tony-nominated orchestrations of Larry Hochman.

Something Rotten! benefits from a tireless and skilled ensemble. Nick Rashad Burroughs opens the show with a bright voice and limber dance moves, though we cannot catch all of the lyrics. The comedic contributions of Pierce Cassedy (Robin), Jeff Brooks (Shylock), and Con O'Shea-Creal (Peter Quince) are of particular value to the show.

Maggie Lakis portrays Bea with strength, while Autumn Hulbert finds vocal and comedic perfection with Portia. As Nick Bottom, Rob McClure's unbridled energy is the show's driving force, while Josh Grisetti (Nigel Bottom) is where the heart is. While he certainly has the vocal chops, Adam Pascal's portrayal of a rockstar-like William Shakespeare lacks a certain exuberance.

The production's most memorable performances, for reasons both comedic and musical, come from Blake Hammond as Nostradamus and Scott Cote as Brother Jeremiah.

This tour is recommended for theater nerds and Shakespeare fans. Mums and dads beware: like The Bard's work, this script is laden with double entendres designed for a mature ear. Something Rotten! at DPAC is a musical's musical -- the quintessential 2.5 hours of nonstop merriment for which crowds gather.

SECOND OPINION: April 5th Raleigh, NC BroadwayWorld.com Raleighrerview by Jeffrey Kare: http://www.broadwayworld.com/raleigh/article/BWW-Review-SOMETHING-ROTTEN-National-Tour-at-Durham-Performing-Arts-Center-20170405 and March 29th BWW TV interview with actor Josh Grisetti , conducted by Jeffrey Kare: http://www.broadwayworld.com/raleigh/article/BWW-TV-Josh-Grisetti-of-SOMETHING-ROTTEN-National-Tour-20170329; March 29th Burlington, NC Times-News preview by Rachel Teseneer for "Teens & Twenties": http://teensandtwenties.com/something-rotten-is-coming-to-dpac-next-week/; March 22nd Durham, NC Herald-Sun preview by Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan: http://www.heraldsun.com/entertainment/article140130608.html (Note: You must subscribe to read this article). (Note: To read Triangle Arts and Entertainment's online version of the April 4th Triangle Review preview by Robert W. McDowell, click http://conta.cc/2oI47Cf#something-rotten.)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dustin K. Britt, a Triangle native, is a local theater actor, regular crew member, and member of the board of directors of Arts Access, Inc., which makes the arts accessible to people with disabilities. He holds an M.A.Ed. degree in Special Education from East Carolina University. Click here to read his reviews for Triangle Review and Triangle Arts and Entertainment. You can also find him on Facebook as Dustin K. Britt, on Twitter as @dkbritt85, and via his movie blog Hold the Popcorn.

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