Theater Review - "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"

THEATER REVIEW - “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”

Produced by: The Star Playhouse - Commack - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur 

In this rollicking farce set in ancient Rome, a slave named Pseudolus wishes to gain his freedom at any cost … and what happens in his two-hour pursuit of that end, you simply will not believe. Nor should you, because ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ is the sort of show whose plot never was intended to be taken seriously.

As the musical’s opening number announces ten minutes into the play: 

“…Pantaloons and tunics! Courtesans and eunuchs! Funerals and chases! Baritones and basses!Panderers! Philanderers! Cupidity! Timidity! This time it all turns out all right … Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight!”

And the big, talented cast of this Stephen Sondheim extravaganza (fifteen named characters, all of them spot-on) never fails to deliver on that initial promise. If anything, many of the punch lines and sight gags come at us so swiftly, and often in such rapid-fire combination, that it’s sometimes difficult to appreciate all the one-liners fully.

‘Forum’ opened on Broadway starring Zero Mostel in early 1962, and closed in August of ’64 after no fewer than 964 performances and a Tony Award for Best Musical! The hysterically convoluted plot plainly demonstrated the lasting power of its witticisms when it was revived in 1972 with Phil Silvers in the lead (Pseudolus), and again starring Nathan Lane in 1996. 

Every actor who has opened in the role of Pseudolus on Broadway (Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, and Nathan Lane) has won a Best Leading Actor Tony Award for his performance. If that isn’t a first on The Great White Way (and probably a unique achievement to boot), this reviewer would be astonished.

Many regional theaters the world over, like The Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, and most recently, the splendid Star Playhouse in Commack, have mounted award-winning versions of ‘Forum.’There is simply no questioning the show’s international appeal.

I have seldom seen a musical comedy where the laugh lines are so evenly distributed among so many actors. This, of course makes for pleasing theater, but it also obviously must have created a special set of problems for the Director, Jim Redding (who also designed the lighting). Also, Sound Technician (Brian Robbins) and Choreographer, Leia DePalo must have been equally challenged. They certainly acquitted themselves well in this slick production. One was put in mind of a non-stop jocular ping-pong game where zingers followed one another with lightning speed, and rim-shot effect.

As mentioned, the lead in this Shevelove and Gelbart play clearly belongs to Glen Ames (as Pseudolus, essentially the narrator). No two ways about it, the actor is a thoroughgoing professional, and he’s got the stage credits to prove it. Ames has played everyone from Nathan Detroit in ‘Guys and Dolls’ to Iago in ‘Othello.’ 

But any critic would be remiss if they did not single out Amanda Cataldo (Domina) for special mention. One can easily envision Cataldo as she must have interpreted Bloody Mary in ‘South Pacific.’ She’s got a beautiful voice … but when Amanda turns shrewish, look out! Those pipes can make Ethel Merman sound like a choir boy!

So, then, kudos to Ames and Cataldo … and to the entire ‘Forum’ cast and crew. Also, thanks to my high school Latin teacher, the late Morris Diamond, without whose tutelage I might not have sufficiently appreciated the names of Erronius, Tintinabula, Vibrata (hmmm) … et al.

Sadly, prospective attendees will have but one more opportunity to see ‘Forum’ … Saturday night, March 19. Call 631-462-9800 X 136

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Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eleven novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. His newest book, THE GHOSTWRITERS, explores the bizarre relationship between the late Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s website is www.JebsBooks.com