Something else is Rotten.

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Nothing was broken, damaged or bruised in The Shakespeare Company and StoryBook Theatre's 2015 co-production of the Broadway musical Something Rotten.

It's two hours of unashamed, unapologetic, beat-the-knee silliness that showcases some of the city's finest musical theater talent.

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Something Rotten is an irreverent satire of Shakespeare's enduring fame and the musical theater tradition.

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It's 1595 and the English Renaissance has turned its writers, poets and playwrights into rock stars, and none more so than The Bard of Avon. Before becoming one of the biggest names in English theatre, Shakespeare was a member of The Botton Brothers Company. As Will's star rose, Nick and Nigel Bottom sank. Desperate for a hit, Nick consults self-appointed oracle Thomas Nostradamus, nephew of the famous soothsayer, to find out what the next big thing in theater will be. Nostradamus tells Nick that musicals will one day be more popular than any play written by Shakespeare, so Nick sets out to create the first British musical, and you know everything that goes wrong.

Joel Schaefer plays Nick as a buffoon. He's like a younger version of Broadway legends Zero Mostel and Nathan Lane. Like them, Schaefer has a strong voice and sings every one of her musical numbers, especially God, I Hate Shakespeare; Musical; and Rotten thing. He is fearless in his physicality and a master of comic invention.

With the help of his leather outfit, Tori Doctor takes the stage in a raucous ensemble number called Will Power, giving Shakespeare a sort of Mick Jagger look. He teases far more subtle reactions from his second act, It's Hard to Be a Bard. This Shakespeare is a little evil, and the Doctor delights in revealing his Mephistophelian cruelty.

As Nostradamus, the bewildered oracle who's been through his head, Hal Kerbes proves he can handle a joke with the same skill and ease as a musical number. It's a virtuoso performance that invites the audience to have as much fun as it does.

Nigel Botton turns out to be a true genius of Renaissance England, and Christopher Sherwood plays him as the innocent hero who falls in love with Portia (Taylor Rae Steedman), the daughter of the Puritan preacher brothers Jeremiah (Joey Gruzecki). The way they try to date love is pretty silly, but their love duets have the necessary emotional intensity.

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The supporting cast boasts strong, memorable performances from Gianna Red-Skelton as Nick's wife Bea, Nicholas Chamberlain as the minstrel, Ben Jaquish as Shylock the moneylender, and Stephen Morton as a cross-dressing member of Nick's troupe.

Terry Gunvordahl's set is functional yet attractive, and Melissa Mitchell Boychuk's costumes add to the show's visual fun.

J.P. Thibodeau's direction is full of inventiveness, slyness and crude sexual innuendos. His stage is always a burst of activity, providing a boisterous look and feel. Greg Pember's choreography is consistently energetic, especially in the big productions of “A Musical” and “Making Omelets,” which pay homage to many famous Broadway musicals.

The lyrics provide the show's humor, so as the music dwarfs the singers, those great jokes are lost.

Something Rotten runs through April 21 at the Beddington Theater Arts Center at 375 Bermuda Drive NW.

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