SOMETHING ROTTEN Reviews- Page 6

[chewy5000]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 6:46am

So here's to elegance and restraint!

 

It's a two way street, you know.

[CurtainsUpat8]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 7:24am

This is why I hate reviews. Is there a kernel of truth in what BB says in the NY Times? Yes there is.  But there are TONS of great things going on in that show. To pan Brian d’Arcy James is just unjust. He was pretty wonderful. A "frothing" Brad Oscar!? That is just unnecessarily insulting. I thought Brad Oscar was hysterical. It's not a perfect show, but I laughed a LOT. It's easy to go into a show and rip it apart. It should have been just as easy for BB to have found the GOOD in this show. The GREAT in this show. I never thought it should beat Fun Home for the Tony. But it did not deserve this review.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 8:16am

I think the Financial Times (paywalled) might have summed it up best and also with the fewest words: "initially delightful, eventually repetitive."

 

Whether or not (and at what point in the show) it wears out its initially delightful welcome seems to vary greatly.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 8:26am

"This is why I hate reviews. Is there a kernel of truth in what BB says in the NY Times? Yes there is.  But there are TONS of great things going on in that show. To pan Brian d’Arcy James is just unjust. He was pretty wonderful. A "frothing" Brad Oscar!? That is just unnecessarily insulting. I thought Brad Oscar was hysterical. It's not a perfect show, but I laughed a LOT. It's easy to go into a show and rip it apart. It should have been just as easy for BB to have found the GOOD in this show. The GREAT in this show. I never thought it should beat Fun Home for the Tony. But it did not deserve this review."

Reviews are opinion-based. Brantley did not like it. No show "deserves" any type of review. 

And Brantley is basically the outlier in these reviews, so what does it matter?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 8:34am

Now that is the Lord Brantley we all know and love - not.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 8:35am

I've never before needed any daily reviewer to validate my opinion,  but when I walked out of Something Rotten at intermission, thinking it irritatingly unfunny - juvenile and monotonous - still hearing the shrieks of the large numbers of people who were totally adoring this show - I really wondered if I had lost my sense of humor.

Never before have I felt such doubt about my assessment of a piece of theatre.

It's slightly reassuring to see the more important daily writers say the exact things I was thinking about this excessively disappointing show.

[broadwayfan24]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 8:40am

NY Post is RAVE

"Broadway hits have a kind of white-hot energy: Everything from story to song clicks into place, the actors are firing on all cylinders — and the audience knows it’s watching something special.

Now, that something special is “Something Rotten!,” a deliriously entertaining new musical comedy that is devilishly clever under its goofy exterior. The influences are clear: “The Producers,” “Spamalot” and “The Book of Mormon.”

Yep, this is a blockbuster."

[PJPan]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:10am

"NY Post is RAVE
"Broadway hits have a kind of white-hot energy: Everything from story to song clicks into place, the actors are firing on all cylinders — and the audience knows it’s watching something special.
Now, that something special is “Something Rotten!,” a deliriously entertaining new musical comedy that is devilishly clever under its goofy exterior. The influences are clear: “The Producers,” “Spamalot” and “The Book of Mormon.”
Yep, this is a blockbuster.""

Count me as one of those who really enjoyed the show, fully recognizing its fluff aspects but laughing all the way.

But now I'm just sad that the NY Post has the same opinion as me...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:16am

How many stars from the Post?

[MorningGlow2]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:18am

"I've never before needed any daily reviewer to validate my opinion,  but when I walked out of Something Rotten at intermission, thinking it irritatingly unfunny - juvenile and monotonous - still hearing the shrieks of the large numbers of people who were totally adoring this show - I really wondered if I had lost my sense of humor.
Never before have I felt such doubt about my assessment of a piece of theatre.
It's slightly reassuring to see the more important daily writers say the exact things I was thinking about this excessively disappointing show."

Sure it wasn't the best musical out there and I wouldn't call it anything close to a masterpiece, but walking out during intermission? I guess you really didn't like it. Probably for the better as it crumbles even more during Act II lol.

I guess each to his/her own. Still humming "Welcome to the Renaissance" :)

[aj88]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:25am

I was expecting Vincentelli to hate it, so that surprises me.

 

[newintown]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:29am

Yes, like I said, I just found Act I to be irritating - like a drawn out SNL sketch, and not a good one. The humor seemed to be entirely derived from random anachronistic figures of speech and dance moves, with no real twist or context to elevate it to something more than random references.

If the score had been more interesting, it might have made a difference, but it just reminded me of something from one of the High School Musical movies, rather generic lite-pop, relying upon the occasional "naughty" word ("penis," "vagina," "nads") for an easy laugh.

Brooks Ashmanskas made me laugh several times, but I've never found D'arcy James particularly interesting, and Borle seemed to me to be doing his take on Austin Powers. Blickenstaff sounded very good in her upbeat Act I number. The rest of the cast were hard-working and fine.

It just struck me as laboriously unfunny.

[broadwayfan24]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:33am

"How many stars from the Post?"

 

3.5 stars

[Kad]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:39am

Newintown: that was generally my impression, although I did not leave at intermission. I just found so much of the attempts at humor thoroughly unearned and not rooted in character or plot.

I agree with all of Brantley's assessment of the material, but not with his assessment of the performances, which I thought were uniformly very good.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 1:45pm

ljay, Madonna..

 

http://www.didhelikeit.com/shows/something-rotten-review.html

 Look what Brantley changed

Updated On: 4/23/15 at 01:45 PM

[Daddy Warbucks]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:05pm

I finally saw Something Rotten and it was hilarious!  The crowd laughter and applause was thunderous.  I don't think I've ever seen a show with a standing ovation mid-show (and the night I went, there was one after A Musical, and then mostly standing ovation later into the show).  And when the curtain call started the entire audience was already on its feet.  I also saw The Visit, An American in Paris and Living on Love this week, but of the four shows, Something Rotten is the one I would recommend to an out of town friend if they only had one show to see and wanted zero risk as to whether they would like it.

I don't get the Brantley review.  The cast was incredibly.  I found myself loving even the chorus members who had so much energy (e.g., during the Renaissance song at the beginning).  And the leads were incredible of course.  

[Broadwaywest]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:12pm

They just posted this on their Facebook. Brilliant. I want this on the marquee

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:14pm

love it, i love when I show goes against the Times, brilliant lol 

[newintown]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:19pm

Regarding walking out (a topic that's been discussed many times before here), I've done it during intermissionless shows, but only when sitting on the aisle near the back - we don't want to make it a spectacle.

But I see no reason to stay at an unjoyable experience, particularly if I can think of something I'd enjoy doing more. Here are other experiences that I think can be cut short:

When eating out, if the meal isn't good, I don't clean the plate.
If reading a book that I find dull or poorly written, I may not finish it.
When a TV show isn't entertaining, I change the channel.
While visiting a museum, I don't feel compelled to see every single exhibit.

Why subject yourself to more of an unentertaining experience than necessary?

[Daddy Warbucks]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:23pm

HAHAHA!  Literally LOL.  Their marketing team is so good.

[Daddy Warbucks]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:49pm

Newintown, I don't think there is a clear cut line on whether it is ok to walk out or not. Though I don't think your analogies are the best.  

You have to weigh your own enjoyment against the experience of the folks in the theatre. It is probably a similar calculus my wife and I made when years ago we would on rare occasion bring a baby to the movies with us. How rude, right?  But it isn't forbidden and we had to weigh the potential for diminishing other people's experiences, with the likelihood the baby would stay asleep the whole time, and our own desire to see the movie.  Generally we tried to avoid it, and walking out (outside of intermission) should probably be generally avoided. But I could see myself walking out if a show become offensive to my wife and I, especially if it wasn't advertised as being incredibly crass. 

[newintown]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 2:58pm

That makes sense, but it was stated that I would only walk out of an intermissionless show if I were on the aisle and in the back (and, of course, as silently as possible).

Leaving a show at intermission, obviously, affects no one else in the audience (except perhaps for the people next to you, or those who move down to your vacated seats, but those are both positives).

[brdway411]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 3:08pm

There have been many times I want to walk out during a show with out intermission. Had to stick it out because I was in an inside seat and just could not make it happen with out disrupting many patrons. Boy, I wish I could get that time back. Some of them were so bad. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 3:14pm

While I have only walked out on one show, I'm totally in agreement with you, Newintowwn.  It's your money, and your time.  If you aren't enjoying a show, why wouldn't you leave?

 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 3:16pm

Just a reminder that DidHeLikeIt.com is run independent of Brantley or The NY Times. So those "on the fence," "thumbs up," or "thumbs down" summaries are entirely subjective. And sometimes change. But they aren't affiliated with Brantley directly at all. It's Ken Davenport's site. 

 

I miss StageGrade too. Ugh