Displaying items by tag: Ross Lehman

The only "rotten" thing about this super funny and colorful production is the title, a line taken from a Shakespeare play. ‘Something Rotten’ is the latest comedy-musical at Marriott Theatre and is full of laughs.

I went to the show not knowing anything about its brief Broadway debut in 2015 and was completely surprised and delighted right out of the gate by the spectacular opening number “Welcome to the Renaissance!" The song is a full-cast extravaganza that makes fun of the conditions people were dealing with in the 1590's (like the black plague), yet also makes the audience realize that at that time the many inventions being brought into humankind awareness seemed really new and miraculous to people of the middle ages.  

Director Scott Weinstein does a fantastic job throughout and has perfectly cast the show with seasoned character actors and actresses who bring it to life with great energy and wit. 

The plot is about two brothers/writers Nick Bottom (KJ Hippensteel) and his brother, Nigel (always another great comedic turn by Alex Goodrich) who, like everyone else at the time, worship The Bard -Shakespeare, played really well  by Adam Jacobs (dressed in sexy  black leather rock star attire to woo the ladies). The brothers ask a soothsayer to give them the plot of a future hit play by Shakespeare. The plot of ‘Something Rotten’ jumps around quite a bit but is superbly funny anyway. 

There are many funny and incisive throwbacks from the past to the present like when Ross Lehman who plays both the soothsayer and a Shylock 0tells the brothers he believes that Shakespeare has made him a character in a play he believes will be titled “Shylock, The Really Nice Jew." Unfortunately, for the brothers, the play the soothsayer predicts that Shakespeare biggest hit will be called ‘Omelet’ not ‘Hamlet’ and the comedy just rolls right on from there. 

Nick Bottom's helpful, hardworking wife, Bea, is a great role for Cassie Slater and she knocks her numbers out of the park every time.  I also really enjoyed Rebecca Hurd as Portia. Portia is the daughter of the only creepy Priest who wants the actors and playwrights of the time to be taken down for crating impure thoughts through theater, which leads people to dancing, which leads to sin, etc.  

Hurd has a wonderful show-stopping number with ‘Bottom’ in which the two lovers discover that they are both really turned on by words! ‘Bottom’ serenades her ears with loving words set to iambic pentameter, and the couple have a hilarious yet heartfelt climactic release together onstage as they find their "word loving" soulmates in each other.  Another showstopper is the full cast blow out of the song "A Musical," which tips it hat to every great musical from ‘Cats’ to ‘Chicago’ to ‘Pippin’ and is jammed packed with spectacular costumes and clever choreography. 

All I can say is I went to the show hoping for the best from a musical I have never seen before and I got it!

I highly recommend this entertaining, delightfully funny musical with eye-popping costumes and really great laughs throughout to audience members of all ages. The director, crew and cast members including a superbly talented dance/singer ensemble of ‘Something Rotten’ have taken this show and revved it up into a fun packed "must see” production from the ever-solid lineup at the intimate Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre.

Through October 20th at Marriott Theatre.

I truly adore anything with Cole Porter’s amazing music performed as well as the cast at The Marriott Theatre. Porter’s songs “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “You’re the Top”, “Easy to Love” and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” are lovingly performed and choreographed to perfection.

“Anything Goes” is the still fresh and funny tale of a group of passengers setting sail for romance and adventure on a spectacular ocean liner from New York to London. When some of the passengers complain to the Captain there are not enough celebrities on board, the Captain realizes that even criminal celebrities are exciting enough to qualify and invites the two “infamous crooks” on board to dine at his table to appease the rest of the guests hunger for drama and notoriety.

Stephanie Binetti (who plays the siren Reno Sweeney) is absolutely sensational in this role. I loved that she was more glamorous than strident, less Ethel Merman and more Liza Minelli, as it were.

Jameson Cooper as Billy Crocker started out a little bit lukewarm in my eyes but after he warmed up and performed his beautiful, heartfelt rendition of “So Easy to Love”, he really won me over. One could certainly see how Cooper as Billy Crocker can so easily charm Hope Harcourt, played by the lovely Summer Naomi Smart, with his genuinely romantic and earthy interpretation of these classic lyrics.

I never get tired of the dynamic and original staging in the round at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. This makes the big dance numbers (which there are plenty of) especially rich. Having the large cast move up and down the aisles throughout the show makes every single seat in this intimate playhouse a great seat!

Moonface Martin is played with amazing comic timing by Ross Lehman.  At the same time, Moonface’s blonde bombshell moll, Erma, played by Alexandra E. Palkovic, adds just the right of amount of real old time sex appeal to this show.

I highly recommend this fun, soaring production of one of Broadways’ most beloved shows for the entire family, especially for young people who have never been exposed to the wonder and magic of well done theater in the round!

“Anything Goes” is being performed at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through May 31^st. For tickets and/or more show information, visit http://www.marriotttheatre.com/show/anything-goes.