Welcome to the Renaissance!

Making its UK debut this August, Something Rotten! is a hilarious mash-up of sixteenth century Shakespeare and twenty-first century musical theatre that delighted Broadway audiences for nearly two years.

The show stars Jason Manford as Nick Bottom, Gary Wilmot (Anything Goes, Wicked) as Nostradamus, Richard Fleeshman (Company, Urinetown) as Shakespeare, Marisha Wallace (Guys & Dolls, Oklahoma!) as Bea, Evelyn Hoskins (Waitress, Spring Awakening) as Portia, Cassius Hackforth (For Tonight, From Here to Eternity) as Nigel Bottom, Steve Furst (Oliver!, Matilda, Little Britain) as Shylock, Ashley Samuels (Hairspray, The Book Of Mormon) as Troubadour, Jenna Boyd (Come From Away, The Wind in the Willows) as Lady Croydon and Cameron Blakely (Disney’s Newsies, Mrs Doubtfire) as Brother Jeremiah.

It’s the 1590s and brothers Nigel and Nick Bottom are tired of being stuck in the shadow of Shakespeare, the Renaissance Rockstar, and are desperate to beat the Bard once and for all. But how? With the help of a prophet, the lesser-known Nostradamus, the brothers set about writing the world’s first musical – a ridiculous notion where the actors just burst into song. Out of nowhere! And they dance too. For no reason! Absurd.

Created by the team behind Mrs Doubtfire (Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Hollywood screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell), Something Rotten! was adored by audience members and critics alike on Broadway, receiving several Best Musical nominations, 10 Tony Award nominations and hailed by Time Out New York as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years”.

With its hit score performed by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra in full swing, this outrageous and hysterical show plays at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for three performances only.

Jason Manford

Nick Bottom

Salford-born Jason Manford is one of the UK’s leading multi-talented performers, with a career also spanning acting, presenting, and singing on both stage and screen.

Away from comedy, Jason has hosted many shows for the BBC and ITV including Unbeatable, Sunday Night at The Palladium and The Royal Variety Performance.  He was a judge on ITV1's Saturday night talent show Starstruck and has hosted BBC One's primetime show Big Night of Musicals since 2022. Later this year, he will be back on BBC One hosting a new teatime quiz show, The Answer Run. Jason also presents his award-winning three-hour show every Sunday on Absolute Radio.

His other TV credits include: First & Last (BBC One), The Masked Singer (ITV1), What Would Your Kid Do? (ITV1), Scarborough (BBC One), 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), The Nightly Show (ITV1), Live at the Apollo (BBC One), Have I Got News For You (BBC One) and QI (BBC Two). Jason will join the cast of Waterloo Road (BBC One) when it returns for its next series later this year.

On stage, Jason has starred in numerous musicals in the West End and across the UK, including Sweeney Todd(Adelphi Theatre), The Producers (UK Tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour), Guys and Dolls (Royal Albert Hall), and Curtains (UK Tour & Wyndham’s Theatre).  Last summer Jason starred as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium, a role he will reprise later this month in his hometown of Manchester.  Jason has led the cast at the Manchester Opera House as Captain Hook in The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan and Jack in Jack and The Beanstalk.

He just announced a major UK stand-up tour for 2024/5, A Manford All Seasons.