Something Rotten!

Where? : St James Theatre
When?  : Saturday 30th May, 2pm 

**Spoilers throughout**

I knew I wanted to see this show from the second I heard about it; a tongue-in-cheek love letter to both Musical Theatre and Shakespeare, starring Brian d'Arcy James (who was fantastic as Shrek) and Christian Borle, both from a tv show I adore - "Smash". Plus getting to see an original broadway cast.... how could I not? 

Something Rotten! is the creation of brothers Karey & Wayne Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell, with direction and choreography from Casey Nicholaw, who continuously proves why he's the popular choice on the musical theatre scene right now. 

From the moment Minstrel Michael James Scott opens the show, with his smooth, creamy voice, singing the intro to the irresistibly catchy "Welcome to the Renaissance", I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed - we leap straight into a big, feel-good ensemble number.

Shortly after, we are introduced to brothers and struggling playwrights Nick and Nigel Bottom, played by Brian d'Arcy James and John Cariani, living in the shadow of Shakespeare. The brothers are at odds in their approach to their art - Nick hates Shakespeare and even has a song to say as much, Nigel on the other hand is a bit of a fan and wants to emulate him. Brian d'Arcy James is aggressively assertive yet endearingly determined as Nick, and Cariani is sweet, naive and nerdy as "fan-boy" Nigel.

Then there's the show-stopping moment when Nick Bottom meets Soothsayer Nostradamus played by Brad Oscar who is absolutely hilarious. Nostradamus can see the future, though it's vague, hence mistaking "Hamlet" for "Omelette" ; his predictions for the future of theatre are presented in the song 'A Musical' which needs no explanation. The term "showstopper" isn't an unfamiliar concept to me, but this is the first time I've really seen a song properly stop the show for a few minutes.   

There's a bit of a build up to the arrival of Shakespeare, which created that rock-god tension that they were going for; I found him reminiscent of Stacee Jaxx from Rock of Ages. Christian Borle is fantastic, tapping into an arrogance and self-importance that just makes this role. There is something oddly alluring about Borle as Shakespeare, whether that's the attitude, the guy liner ..... or perhaps even those muscles he's been working on; I assume this is the reaction they are hoping for to the character - at the same time as being repulsed by his ego-mania, we need to identify with the God-like adoration for him. I was pretty impressed with his English accent which, although borrowed from the likes of Hugh Grant, is unwavering from start to finish. A Tony award well earned for Borle. 

Everything about this show is pure, unabashed musical theatre from the gorgeous, innovative costumes (a mixture of 16th Century and modern day), pantomime style glitzy sets, flashing lights, large ensemble numbers, high-kicks, tap-dancing, catchy ear-worm songs, which you'll find yourself humming as you leave the theatre - a sign of a good score - and lots of laughter, especially if you are a big musical theatre fan who'll pick up all the references. I loved every indulgent moment. 

I really think this show would appeal to a wide west end audience, so let's hope it makes it overseas - get nagging people.  

For further information, or to book tickets, please go to the official website http://rottenbroadway.com/ 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Where? : Belasco Theatre, NYC

When?  : Thursday 28th May 

*some mild spoilers*

I actually was blissfully unaware when I booked this show that it was based on a cult film. I booked based on the amazing reviews, the fact it seemed off-beat and original, not to mention a stream of high profile theatre performers jumping at the chance to perform in that title role. I happened to be checking out the soundtrack and a (non theatrical) friend started singing along and told me it was one of her boyfriend's favourite films. 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a punk-rock musical written by original Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell and music by Stephen Trask. It is a relatively short show in comparison to others on Broadway and doesn't have an intermission. This, combined with the grungy set gives the feeling of being in some run-down venue watching a rock-cabaret show. 

Over an hour and a half, Hedwig's story unfolds - it's initially bold, brash and down-right dirty (prepare for much debauchery and face-licking) but as the narrative progresses, a murkier, heartbreaking tale emerges, giving context to the character we are presented with.

Darren Criss is surprising in this role, granted I had only seen him in the TV show "Glee" as a much different character - squeaky clean and privileged. Hedwig is the antithesis to this. Criss gets to show off a range and depth of his acting skills, from the big, loud and outrageous to small and vulnerable.

More like a play with musical support, than a musical as such. There's a depth to this production, with many layers to uncover - in Hedwig's case, literally as well as figuratively - as the play progresses layers come off the not only the person but the persona as well, revealing the raw, damaged man beneath.

In a way, the story belongs as much Hedwig's husband, backing-singer, roadie and sidekick "Yitzhak" (played by Rebecca Naomi Jones) - a female-to-male transgender, whose character is revealed without him even needing to speak many words; Repressed and pushed to the background, yet tirelessly, thanklessly running around after Hedwig, tidying up the messes she leaves behind. As Hedwig descends and re-emerges as Hansel, Yitzhak rises and emerges as a female, stepping into the vacant spotlight usually occupied by Hedwig.

There is so much else I could say about this show and I feel like this is scratching the surface. It's so different to any of the musicals out there right now and I'm excited to hear, through the rumour mill, it may be coming to the West End soon. This could be just the tonic our theatre scene has been thirsting for.

For further information, or to book tickets to the Broadway show, please visit the official website    http://hedwigbroadway.com/    

Sidenote:

Writing this review, I often found myself confused as to which pronoun to use - him or her? Gender is such a complicated issue in this show as both characters identify as both male and female during those intense 90 minutes. I decided to use the pronoun relating to the gender they identified with for most of the show. 

I came across this blog post which I found quite an interesting read and looks more in depth into this aspect:- 
http://www.therainbowhub.com/gender-and-performance-in-hedwig-and-the-angry-inch/