PLEASANT GROVE — Opening night at The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theatre has brought Renaissance razzle-dazzle to Utah County with its lively production of Something Rotten! — the Broadway hit musical comedy by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, with music and lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick. Set in 1590s London, the show follows playwright brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom as they struggle to compete with the ever-popular William Shakespeare. While the show is fun and enjoyable for even first-time play-goers, many of the theatre in-jokes require a certain amount of Broadway cachet to fully appreciate them. The Ruth took this script and added fast paced choreography, fun physicality, strong singing and technical design to make it a fantastic show for the whole family.
The evening started with a new tradition from The Ruth. Artistic director Jenny Barlow bringing out the creative team and giving flowers to the director, maestro and choreographer as well as asking the audience to thank the tech team and support staff for their work to bring the production to life.
The cast was incredibly physical in the comedy throughout the production, and it felt like the comedy drew heavily on commedia dell’arte stock characters. Every scene had at least one hilarious moment spurred entirely from strong commitment to the bits. Nigel Bottom (Austin Dorman) is instructed to sleep at one point, and he flopped directly on his face. Shakespeare (Jordan Nicholes) always had a pop kick to his entrances and shimmy-shakes that added to his charisma drenched performance. The bearded smooches between Nick (Ryan Shepherd) and Bea (Bailee Morris) were good gags, and always played with a physical pop that made the kisses funny without being romantically tense.
Matt Baxter’s Brother Jeremiah was somehow towering and dainty at the same time in his moments of puritanical abhorrence of the theatre. Nigel’s romantic interest Portia (Ondine Morgan-Garner) was completely unhinged in the best possible ways as her yearning for poetry poured out through every doe eyed expression and movement. Incredible ensemble performances also stood out. Isaac Moss as Robin with his absolute seriousness as the straight man in a dress throughout the show, and one fan girl of Shakespeare’s (Rachel Nicholes) was hilariously committed to her physicality any time a… the bard was around. The full cast was invested and it was a delight to watch.
Something Rotten! plays through October 4, 2025 | Photo: Brighton Sloan
David Morgan’s direction helped this potent cast hit all the right jokes, even as The Ruth sanitized a few of the racier comments and gags in the play. The show felt more family friendly than other productions of the show but without losing the incredible wit the show demands. The one directing choice that raised an eyebrow was the lack of clear delineation between dream/fantasy sequences and reality. The text and acting eventually brought the audience along, but I felt like some kind of clearer shift was missing in those instances. It was otherwise a tight, focused, and uproarious production.
Beyond this physical domination, several performances truly stood out as grounded and enjoyable. Jordan Nicholes managed to play Shakespeare with as both aggressively arrogant and incredibly likeable. His contrast with the oafish disguise Shakespeare uses (Toby) was delightful and the comedy was rich throughout. Nicholes is an incredible dancer who owned the stage.
Shepherd was a likewise enjoyable Nick. While the character has flaws, Shepherd leaned hard into them to highlight the tragic failings of someone who will go to any lengths to prove themselves in the eyes of others. Shepherd gave the character depth by the end, and he too acted as well as he sang and danced.
Morgan-Garner’s balance between Portia’s obsequious submission to her father, and her desperate yearning for each poetic word of Nigel was hilarious. Her face was a canvas of exaggeration with each dramatic turn more delightful than the last.
Choreography from Izzy Arrieta drew from every major dance move in the Broadway repertoire. Even when Fosse inspired moves appeared only briefly or in quick succession, the show’s dance was one of the strongest elements of the homage to its Broadway loving roots. The routines often pushed the performers to their limits as there was heavy breathing after each number, but it was filled with exuberance and the dance performances were fairly clean throughout.
Ryan Fallis had the lighting design of a lifetime with this production, as lights were perfectly synced with choreography shifts, claps, and downbeats that were in sync from start to finish. The lighting added a rock-style pop to key moments and allowed for the more emotional moments to focus the audience’s eyes to the right spots. It was incredibly clean.
The same can’t be said for the sound design. Mixing was rough throughout the performances. In at least one major number (“Will Power”) the mic for the soloist wasn’t initially working though Nicholes sang loudly until it came through. Beyond that, the sound mix consistently over powered the ensemble and leads, even from just a few rows back. It’s fixable, but there were balance issues all night and led to several missed moments.
Finally, the costuming from Lexi Goldsberry is exceptional. Quick changes, large scale ensemble costumes, and well tailored costumes of all varieties were flattering on all of the actors, and told the story of 1590s England with the kick up of modern musical theatre in style, color and texture. Across the board, it was impressive work.
Something Rotten! isn’t my favorite show. The concept is fun, but it at times reflects the play-within-a-play from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream where the play Pyramus and Thisbe is described as “merry and tragical! tedious and brief!” Those who will love this musical the most are those who, like the gentleman next to me wearing a theatre superfan sweatshirt, are drama die-hards. At times the motifs are a scavenger hunt through Broadway and Shakespeare shows. However, anyone wanting a hearty laugh will love Morgan’s bright commitment to the comedy and physicality made the show consistently funny and enjoyable. I can’t imagine anyone doing Something Rotten! much better than it was done at The Ruth.
