Comedy, TV and musical theatre favourite Jason Manford will return to the stage next summer in the UK premiere of the award-winning musical Something Rotten!.
The side-splitting Broadway hit will run at Manchester Opera House from 16 June to 19 July 2026, before heading to the West End.
Set in the 1590s, Something Rotten! follows brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom as they attempt to write a hit play while living in the shadow of Renaissance rockstar Will Shakespeare.
When a soothsayer predicts a future filled with singing, dancing and acting all at once, the Bottom brothers set out to create the world’s first musical.
Jason Manford has previously starred in Sweeney Todd, The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls, Curtains and The Wizard of Oz.
Something Rotten! was created by Grammy-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick, screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick, and comedy writer John O’Farrell.
The musical received 10 Tony Award nominations during its Broadway run and was recently revived in a 2023 WhatsOnStage Award-winning concert version.
This new production is directed and choreographed by Tim Jackson, known for Merrily We Roll Along and Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York.
It is presented by producers Kevin McCollum (Alchemation) and Joshua Andrews (JAS Theatricals), and licensed by Music Theatre International.
Manchester Abid has supported the Opera House’s Manchester Gets it First programme to bring Something Rotten! to the city.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
