The New York Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Unchecked enthusiasm is not always an asset in musical comedy, despite the genre's reputation for wholesale peppiness. "Something Rotten!," the rambunctious new show that opened on Wednesday night at the St. James Theater, dances dangerously on the line between tireless and tedious, and winds up collapsing into the second camp."
Associated Press - Highly Recommended
"...A stunningly good first act - including Shakespeare at an outdoor concert singing lines from sonnets to swooning fans, and later a tap-off between Borle and James - invariably leads to a somewhat weaker second act, but that's still better than most entire musicals on Broadway right now."
Hollywood Reporter - Highly Recommended
"...In terms of the cast, every one of the principals gets his or her moment. Cariani and Reinders make a charming romantic duo (he's neurotic and nerdy, she's beatific and kind); Blickenstaff's warmth and humor beef up a marginal role, providing the obligatory bit of Shakespearean cross-dressing; and Oscar (the original Franz Liebkind in The Producers) is a hoot as the fortuneteller who opens a valve and then can't shut it off, receiving fuzzy signals from the future musical realm with a mix of fascination and fear: "Little Shop of... Whores?" Channeling Tim Curry, Borle is an uproarious scene-stealer who delivers big time in the flashiest part. But it's the enormously appealing James' prickly humor and natural charisma that anchor this highly entertaining show."
Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Certainly the most fun of the spring musical openings on Broadway, "Something Rotten!" is a sharply directed piece that achieves a consistent world and never checks its own literacy. If you imagine a cross of "Spamalot" and "Shakespeare in Love," you probably have a sense of the style. But the show is really a metaphor for bitchy showbiz rivalry, carefully checked for accuracy."
NBC New York - Recommended
"...Shakespeare is a charismatic and conniving copycat who wears skin-tight leather pants in the new musical comedy "Something Rotten!" An easygoing effort from the director of "The Book of Mormon," the real brains-and heart-of "Rotten!" belong to the Bottom Brothers, a pair of aspiring writers who challenge the Bard on his own turf."
Time Out New York - Highly Recommended
"...And what a cast. If you didn't already know what a smashing actor and singer Brian D'Arcy James is (he briefly stole the show earlier this year in Hamilton), here is a chance to see him carry a show with wit, fire and some impressive tap moves. Of course with an ensemble this good, the carrying is shared: Cariani squirms adorably; Blickenstaff's radiant as Nick's sensible wife; Brooks Ashmanskas flounces about as a closeted puritan; and Borle steals his scenes as the cocky, narcissistic, plagiarizing Shakespeare. You can bet the Swan of Avon is rolling in his grave-with laughter."
Scribicide - Recommended
"Where other Shakespeare-oriented works fail when they superficially reach for the highbrow, Something Rotten! succeeds because it allows itself to be unapologetically silly...There is something a little ingenious about taking the richest period in English literature and using it to write an ode to trashy entertainment. Something Rotten! is that rare piece of fluff that knows exactly where it stands while occasionally betraying an unexpected intelligence. Then again, sometimes it's just funny."