Freewill Shakespeare Festival's Something Rotten! is a toe-tapping extravaganza at Hawrelak Park
The musical runs at Heritage Amphitheatre through July 12, delivering laughs and tap-dancing grace despite opening-night rain that tested the cast's resolve.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fans of Shakespeare and musicals should head to Hawrelak Park to catch Freewill Shakespeare Festival's production of Something Rotten!, playing in the Heritage Amphitheatre through July 12. The outdoor musical is at once a toe-tapping extravaganza and a gut-busting skewer of two beloved pastimes, posing questions like why musicals repeat the same song over and over again and why Shakespeare puts words in the wrong order.
The production, directed by Dave Horak, celebrates the festival's return to Hawrelak Park and showcases the sheer pluckiness of a theatre troupe with the audacity to perform outdoors in July. Opening night was delayed by 15 minutes when the sky "threw daggers" — rain and thunder reverberated throughout the amphitheatre. But the company did dare. The opening number by Minstrel (Renell Doneza, recalled from the Citadel's 2023 production of Prison Dancer) puts the audience at ease immediately. While small puddles at the foot of the stage caused a wobble or two on the staircase leading up to the platform, cast members in tap shoes managed to skim back and forth with grace and agility throughout the night.
Something Rotten! is a departure for Freewill, which opened its two-show season with Much Ado About Nothing. The two-and-a-half-hour musical (including intermission) had a successful run on Broadway when it debuted in 2015 and has been staged at the Stratford Festival twice (2024 and 2026), where critics have praised it lavishly.
With a book, music and lyrics by American brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, the show follows the Bottom brothers — playwrights Nick (Stephen Allred) and Nigel (Eli Yaschuk) — as they struggle to make a name for themselves in the shadow of William Shakespeare (Brian Christensen). Nick's wife Bea (Melenie Reid) is a charming example of Elizabethan feminism, while Nostradamus (Nico Maiorana), a distant relative of the famous prophet, predicts that something called a musical will soon appear. The frothy farce roasts musical theatre and The Bard with whimsy and wit.
Freewill doesn't have Stratford's $70-million-plus budget, but Horak has created a show with the exuberant feel of a more expensive production. Watch for wardrobe designer Karlie Christie's adorable take on giant, dancing eggs in the second act.
