By Galen Simmons

How is it every musical I see at the Stratford Festival directed and choreographed by Donna Feore is somehow my new favourite?

I don’t know how she does it, but she’s certainly done it again with this season’s production of Something Rotten!

Tragically, I was unable to see Something Rotten! on opening night due to a bout of food poisoning I will not describe on the pages of this paper – you can thank me later. That meant by the time I saw this season’s hit musical, I had already been told it was perhaps the best musical to grace any festival stage in years. High praise, indeed.

Despite my best attempts to ignore the glowing reviews of Something Rotten! before I could judge it for myself, my expectations were sky high when I walked into the theatre exactly two weeks after opening night. Though my hopes were kept somewhat in check after I read in the program understudy Gabriel Antonacci would play the role of Shakespeare instead of Jeff Lillico, all those lofty expectations planted in my head by those who had already seen it were in fact met and exceeded.

I don’t think I’ve ever related so strongly to a character in a theatrical production as I did Nick Bottom (Mark Uhre). Perhaps it’s because we share the opinion that Shakespeare’s writing is overrated and overly ornate, but Uhre’s performance as the jealous, jilted playwright trying to find success and fame in The Bard’s shadow and doing anything and everything to produce that next big hit is at once hilarious, relatable and packed with talent on the song-and-dance front.

Henry Firmston’s Nigel Bottom, Nick’s younger brother and writing partner with actual writing talent, grounds his brother’s blind ambition and jealousy with his own heartfelt journey of self discovery and remaining true to himself – a true fan of Shakespeare’s work – thanks to the love and guidance of Portia (Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane) – the daughter of a strictly anti-theatre puritan, Brother Jeremiah (Juan Chioran) – and a secret lover of prose and poetry herself.

While Antonacci’s performance as the 16^th-century rockstar playwright certainly hit hard – I can’t say how it compares to Lillico’s, but I did enjoy it – the supporting cast, the impeccably timed choreography of each of the song-and-dance numbers and the comedic timing of everyone on stage truly made this production shine.

Bea’s (Starr Domingue) endearing and humorous efforts to support her husband at all costs no matter how much he protests, the dancing eggs in Nick Bottom’s misguided production of Omelette and the countless and confused references to modern musicals made by Nostradamus (Dan Chameroy) as he tries and (mostly) fails to foresee Shakespeare’s greatest work each had me laughing to the point of tears.

The production team’s ability to use flashy lighting and transform big set pieces during scenes and song-and-dance numbers never stole focus from the actors and dancers on stage, and instead often added humour or that dramatic flair needed to keep the audience engaged. The costumes, too, employed both subtlety and blatant ridiculousness to hammer home visual gags and jokes from start to finish.

What can I say? I guess you could call me a Donna Feore fan. I’m not entirely sure how she’ll top Something Rotten! with her next musical, but I’m excited and hopeful to see her try.

Something Rotten! runs at the Festival Theatre until Oct. 27.