How Did 'Something Rotten' Become a Hit? - Page 3

[SweetLips]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 3:21am

'Edited because I was being childish.

 

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Updated On: 8/14/15 at 03:21 AM

[Crateful]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 7:32am

I totally fell for all the early marketing for Something Rotten.  I liked all of the cute videos, their Instagram account was funny, etc, etc.  I felt sort of duped when I went to see the show and found it not terribly intelligent and unfunny, despite all the clever, current marketing.  

[Patash]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 8:52am

"Hasn't it been acknowledged by everyone in the world that Bridges' demise was almost single-handedly caused by its terrible early marketing?"

 

I think comments like those are nonsense.  I saw Bridges pretty early in the run and it was a packed house.  I cry at car commercials on TV -- OK, so I'm the sentimental type.  Yet I not only didn't shed a tear in Bridges, absolutely nothing touched me emotionally.  I found myself listening to the rich and beautiful score and orchestrations, but couldn't have cared less about the characters or the story.  I don't think I was alone in that.  If people had really been moved by this show, it would have succeeded. 

 

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 11:04am

There was never the slightest possibility that 'Bridges' would become a hit. Blaming anyone/anything is a pointless exercise.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 12:03pm

"I totally fell for all the early marketing for Something Rotten.  I liked all of the cute videos, their Instagram account was funny, etc, etc.  I felt sort of duped when I went to see the show and found it not terribly intelligent and unfunny, despite all the clever, current marketing."

Same here. I wish the show had been as funny as the marketing.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 4:28pm

Why is Bridges being discussed? Bridges was... fine. It was not a masterwork. It was bolstered by very fine leading performances and an above-average score. But it was never, ever the sort of show that was going to be a runaway hit.

Something Rotten is slick, pandering entertainment that makes the audience feel clever for being in on the joke. It's filling in a void left by other meta-musicals that have come and gone. I'm in the miniority of people who did not like it, but I can't deny that many people do and talk it up to friends or relatives who are coming into town. You can't buy word-of-mouth.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 8/14/15 at 5:39pm

I call Something Rotten a "cotton candy" show. Enjoyed it well enough in the moment, but the memory of it immediately dissolved and I have not thought about it since.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/22/15 at 10:03am

I finally saw Something Rotten! last night. While I definitely liked the show just fine, I can't say that I loved it as much as I thought I would. I felt like a lot of the jokes were tied to a tree and beaten to within an inch of their death, and oftentimes the jokes were not even that funny to begin with. The various musical references, while fun, started to come across as "oh look how clever we are referencing all these musicals" after a while. The show did remind me a little bit of Spamalot, however, I enjoyed Something Rotten! so much more than Spamalot (which I hated). The humor in both shows just isn't humor that I personally find very funny.

 

The cast was all great, especially Brian d'Arcy James and Christian Borle. I can definitely see why Borle won the Tony. The entire cast had a lot of energy which made the show very fun to watch. The show was at it's best during the big chorus numbers (Welcome to the Renaissance, A Musical, and I See the Light were the standout numbers in the show). The sets, lighting, costumes, and sound were are top notch. This was one of the clearest sounds designs I have heard in a Broadway house in a long time. 

 

Overall, this is a fun show with some great performances, but I wasn't completely taken with it. I still think the show is worth seeing for sure, but there are also many better shows currently running on Broadway right now.

Updated On: 8/22/15 at 10:03 AM