“It’s a full bells and whistles production, the dancing will be exceptional, the music is fab, the songs are so funny”This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreJason Manford to star in new musical Something Rotten! at Manchester Opera House in 2026(Image: Something Rotten)

Comedy, TV and musical theatre star Jason Manford will make his highly anticipated return to the stage in pantaloons next summer in award-winning comedy musical Something Rotten!

Billed as a side-splitting mash-up of song, dance and Elizabethan absurdity, it tells the story behind the “creation of the world’s very first musical, Something Rotten!” set in Shakespearean times.

It won huge acclaim on Broadway, and the new production will get its premiere on Jason’s home turf in Manchester next year.

It will be staged at the Manchester Opera House from 16 June to 19 July 2026, ahead of a planned West End run with dates to be announced.

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The musical is set in the 1590s as brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but remain stuck in the shadow of “that pompous Renaissance rockstar Will Shakespeare”.

When a quirky soothsayer foretells an outlandish future for theatre – full of acting, singing and dancing all at the same time – Nick and Nigel set out to write this strange new creation called a musical.

But amidst the scandalous excitement of Opening Night, the Bottom Brothers discover that reaching the top means being true to thine own self… and all that jazz.

Jason will play Nick Bottom and said: “It’s a full bells and whistles production, the dancing will be exceptional, the music is fab, the songs are so funny, I sing a whole song called ‘God I hate Shakespeare’, it’s just really funny.

“There’s not many funny musicals, I come at it from stand up and our bar is much higher for comedy than it is in theatre.

“It’s really rare to find something that’s genuinely funny in musical theatre, and funny songs as well, it’s really hard, but this is the one.

“I’ve gripped on tight to this musical since I first saw it in New York many years ago, and any time there’s been a sniff of putting it on I’m just throwing my hat in the ring to be a part of it.”

Theatre fans got a sneak preview of Jason in the role when he starred in a showcase concert production in the West End in 2023, and he also performed one of the show’s big songs as the dazzling opener to the BBC’s Big Night of Musicals at the AO Arena earlier this year alongside Daniel Mays.

Jason performed “A Musical” from the show at the Big NIght of Musicals earlier this year(Image: Getty Images for The National Lo)

“It was always the plan” after that concert to take the musical out further. And Jason says he’s delighted to perform it in Manchester.

“Manchester is becoming one of those places now, we’ve just had 13 Going on 30, Mrs Doubtfire, Back to the Future, loads of shows now are coming to Manchester first which is great, it gives people a bit of choice and variety.

“The thing about Manchester crowds is, they’re honest, they’re not going to sit and laugh if it’s not good enough – they’ll tell you. You learn pretty quick which are the good bits and which aren’t.”

On stage, Jason has starred in numerous musicals in the West End and across the UK, including Sweeney Todd, The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls, Curtains and The Wizard of Oz.

Created by the award-winning team behind Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical: Grammy award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick (Change the World, Every Heartbeat), screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run, Over the Hedge, James and the Giant Peach) and best-selling author and comedy scriptwriter John O’Farrell (Spitting Image, Have I Got News for You, Just For One Day), Something Rotten! was the toast of Broadway where it received 10 Tony Award nominations.

This new production is directed by Tim Jackson (Merrily We Roll Along, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York) and presented by Broadway and West End producers, Kevin McCollum of Alchemation and Joshua Andrews of JAS Theatricals. This production is licensed by Music Theatre International.

Manchester Abid has supported the Opera House’s Manchester Gets it First programme to help bring Something Rotten! to Manchester.

How to get tickets

Tickets for the Manchester run of Something Rotten will go on general sale from Wednesday, November 5 at 10am.

They will be available on the ATG website here and further information will be available at the official Something Rotten website.