After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, Vancouver’s iconic Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) recently reopened with a radiant production of the Tony Award-winning musical Something Rotten! at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. And there is certainly nothing rotten about this hilarious and wonderfully polished production under the direction of Rachel Peake, with choreography by Nicol Spinola and musical direction by Brent Hughes.
On opening night, Patrick Roberge, President of the TUTS Board of Directors, described the show as a “love letter to musical theatre” in his pre-show announcement. And Something Rotten! definitely is that. Knowledgeable musical theatre fans will especially appreciate the endless comical references to Broadway musicals throughout the show. And the show itself offers all the elements of beloved Broadway musical fare including an excellent musical score by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick; a clever book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell; superb cast performances; crowd-pleasing tap dance numbers; and period-appropriate and attractive costume design by Stephanie Kong and set design by Shizuka Kai.
The show is set during the English Renaissance, where brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom run a theatre troupe. The troupe is struggling, having been overshadowed by William Shakespeare’s enormous success. Shakespeare was once an actor in the Bottom brothers’ troupe, but annoyed by Shakespeare, Nick encouraged Shakespeare to pursue his writing. Nick deeply regrets this later when Shakespeare blows up into a big deal, making it near impossible for any other theatre troupe to compete against the Bard’s plays.
The company of Something Rotten! led by Vicente Sandoval (front left) and Pazandeh (front right). Photo credit: Emily Cooper
Determined to find a way to outshine Shakespeare, Nick enlists the help of Nostradamus to see into the future and predict what Shakespeare’s greatest play will be, so he can steal the idea for himself. However, Nostradamus’ prophesy misses the mark by a smidge, and this misstep proves to have major consequences when Nick goes to put on his show. What ensues is outrageous, chaotic, and wildly entertaining comedy.
As Nick, Kamyar Pazandeh gives a tour de force performance. His vocal ability – both when speaking and singing – is absolutely stunning. A highly trained actor and singer, he has such incredible projection, vocal control, and enunciation, that it’s a pleasure to hear every word he says and every note he sings. And by the way, his singing is magnificent. It’s quite a treat to hear his gorgeous singing soar through the evening air.
Vicente Sandoval and Cassandra Consiglio. Photo credit: Emily Cooper
Pazandeh’s enthusiasm as Nick is fun to watch, especially in numbers like “Bottom’s Gonna Be On Top” and “Make an Omelette”. And he’s a great dancer too, highlighted by a tap dance battle he does against Shakespeare (Daniel Curalli). As the show progresses, Pazandeh does a fine job showing Nick’s character arch, specifically in how Nick’s determination evolves into an obsession that starts to override his better judgement and relationships. Pazandeh delivers one of the best theatrical performances I’ve had seen in Vancouver theatre.
As Nick’s younger brother, Vicente Sandoval is sweet and refreshing as Nigel. And his vocal ability is also incredible. The way he handles “Nigel’s Theme”, with some very high notes, shows remarkable talent and control. As his love interest Portia, Cassandra Consiglio is a joy to watch. She’s bubbly and charming, with a nightingale voice. Sandoval and Consiglio are delightful as a couple, and their duet “I Love the Way” is adorable.
As Shakespeare, Daniel Curalli delivers a dynamite performance. His whole being is poised, sexy, and suitably self-centred, from the way he carries himself, swivels his hips, to tossing his hair back every time the cast raves “Shakespeare!”. Curalli handles his difficult text well (his character suitably speaks and sings in prose a lot, quite often referencing his own quotes), dances very well (I was especially impressed with his tap), and makes Shakespeare such an enjoyable villain that the audience loves and hates at the same time. Curalli has been featured in theatre across Vancouver for years, but this is his best work that I’ve seen and I’m thrilled for him to deservingly have this opportunity to shine.
Daniel Curalli (front centre) as Shakespeare. Photo credit: Emily Cooper
The Vancouver theatre scene needs to make way for Katie-Rose Connors to light up more stages with her talent, because she’s sensational. As Nick’s wife, Bea, Connors seizes the spotlight whenever she’s onstage. Her solo “Right Hand Man” is highly entertaining, thanks to her strong singing and comical abilities. Her character advocates for equality for women, and Connors suitably offers up a performance unquestionably deserving to mirror Pazandeh’s performance as Nick.
I would also be remised if I didn’t also praise the work of Jyla Robinson as the tap-dancing Nostradamus. Robinson shines as a true triple threat in this role, as she’s hilarious as the quirky soothsayer, using her vocals and physical movement to bring the role to life. Her dancing is sensational, highlighted by her nice, clear, tap sounds.
The ensemble here is excellent. Not only are they all talented performers, but they are share the quirky spirit and sense of humour needed to really make this show work. If you look at the cast photos in this review, you can get a taste of what I mean. Kudos to dance captain Courtney Shields for bringing everyone together and ensuring the numerous splashy production numbers are clean - including the tap sounds!
Pazandeh and Robinson. Photo credit: Emily Cooper
Thanks to Peake’s excellent direction, the show plays out in a smooth, polished fashion with great comic timing. The only thing I wished was different was the use of the actors’ own headshots during the show. In the Broadway production, the actors used Elizabethan-era style sketches of themselves when presenting their “headshots” at the end of “A Musical”, and when Shakespeare pulls out his headshot at one point during the show. It added a hilarious touch. In this production, the cast use black and white copies of their own headshots. The headshots are very visible to the audience, and since the photos look so modern it breaks the illusion of the story. I feel that even amateur drawn self-portraits would have worked much better.
Spinola once again delivers her usual choreographic mastery, especially with the rousing tap numbers. One of the things I always admire about Spinola’s choreography is its creativity, and it’s on full display here as expected, especially in “Make an Omelette” where we see female dancers dressed as eggs, and Pazandeh sending these eggs to their fate. I also got a kick out of seeing some of the dancers jumping on mini trampolines at the end of this number, which I gather is a salute to old Hollywood musicals (but that’s just my guess).
I can’t stress enough how funny and clever this show is – and as I mentioned earlier, musical theatre fans will especially love all the references to famous musicals. I would say the genre of this show is similar to The Producers and Spamalot, because of how outrageous the comedy is. However (and no offence to The Producers and Spamalot), but I found those shows to be quite male-centric and females weren’t part of the picture except for humour and entertainment’s sake. But things are different with Something Rotten! Bea is very strong female character who plays a heavy role in what happens, and Portia is pretty strong as well. And characters of all genders swoon for Shakespeare, so I feel that this show is a more positive representation of all, compared to a lot of over-the-top comical musicals I’ve seen in the past.
Pazandeh and the company of Something Rotten! Photo credit: Emily Cooper
Something Rotten! is an excellent choice for TUTS to do. The gorgeous outdoor setting of Stanley Park helps contribute to the whole Shakespeare vibe of this show (aka Shakespeare in the park theme), and the whole experience of going to TUTS is always magical. When you go, don’t forget to grab beverages from the bar, and food and snacks from the concession. I recommend getting to the Malkin Bowl about an hour before showtime so you don’t have to rush. Plus, the lineups for the bar and concessions get long. There’s a BBQ section, so you can have dinner there! Also - all the staff and volunteers at TUTS are super nice. And for Instagram fans and TikTokers there are a ton of great photo and video opps, because the venue is so beautiful.
Officially, TUTS was on hold for two years, but technically it’s been three years since the last time TUTS performed at the Malkin Bowl (the last time was summer of 2019 with Newsies and Mamma Mia!), so it was heartwarming to see the Malkin Bowl alive again on opening night. And on top of everything, Something Rotten! is a gem and celebrates the best of Broadway musical theatre magic. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to this delightful show!
Something Rotten! presented by Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) plays at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park until August 26. Visit the TUTS website for ticket information.