Date: Fri 21-Aug-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: JUDYC

Quick Words:

Forum-TheatreWorks-Sondheim

Full Text:

(rev "Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" @TheatreWorks)

Theatre Review--

No Shadows, And Lots Of Laughs, In "Forum"

(with cut)

By Julie Stern

NEW MILFORD -- There are no shadows in TheaterWorks New Milford's staging of

Stephen Sondheim's tour de farce: Tragedy, the prologue tells us, comes next

week; this is going to be an evening of pure, rollicking, bawdy "comedy

tonight!"

Working with a strong cast, director/choreographer Bradford Blake and musical

director Charles Smith have put together a delightful production which has to

be as much fun for the players as it is for the audience.

The set reveals the contiguity of three Roman houses. On the right is the

empty home of Erronius, who has gone off searching the world for his two lost

children, kidnapped by pirates when they were infants. On the left is the

mansion of Marcus Lycus, the Hugh Hefner of his day, who trades in high priced

courtesans guarded by a trio of eunuchs. And in the center is the house of

Senex, a middle-aged family man with a virago of a wife, Domina, and a sweetly

innocent adolescent son, Hero.

The plot is set in motion when Senex and Domina set off on a visit to the

country, leaving their head slave, Hysterium, in charge of the house, and a

wily under-slave, Pseudolus, who schemes to win his freedom by fixing up a

liaison between Hero and the beautiful and mysterious new courtesan from next

door, Philia.

When it turns out Philia is a virgin who has been sold in marriage to the

mighty warrior Miles Gloriosus, who is arriving to claim his new bride,

Pseudolus has his work cut out for him. Thereby hangs an outrageous tale.

It is Pseudolus who makes the play. Zero Mostel played the role in the

original Broadway version, and Joe Hardy creates an ample presence on the New

Milford stage. Mr Hardy's Pseudolus is quick-witted, low-minded, and

imperturbably ready to do whatever he has to, without ever losing that look of

wide-eyed innocence.

Mr Hardy is well balanced by Bill Dempster in the role of the frantically

anxious Hysterium, who doesn't want to listen to him but is afraid not to. C.

Zadri Becker and Donna L. Szabilinsi are charming as the sweet but dopey young

lovers.

Carl J. DeVoe gives the real presence to Senex rediscovering lust in his

mid-life crisis, and Suzi Pettibone uses her glorious voice to complete

advantage despite the shrewish nature of her character as Domina.

While the principals are all fine, one of the best things about the show is

the use made of the minor characters -- the trio of "Proteans" played by James

C. Hall, Christian Smythe and Chris White become by turns simpering eunuchs,

weary sailors, and macho legionaries as the plot requires. Also the various

courtesans (Tintinabula, Panacea, the Geminae, Vibrata and Gymnasia) manage to

be both alluring and hilarious at the same time, as portrayed by Caryn Loya,

Sarah Lee Michaels, Bethany McBee, Lauren Wolfe, Sandra Belci and Monica

Merkel. You could tell that, like everyone else in the cast, and especially

the audience, they were having a good time.

The company was rounded out by Mark Feltch as the slimy Marcus Lycus, Vito

Gesualdi as the forlornly hopeful Erronious, and Jonathan Ross as the

supremely confident Miles Gloriosus.

This is the kind of show that makes you realize why the kids who took Latin in

school had so much fun. The house was sold out on opening night, as it should

be!

TheatreWorks will continue to present A Funny Thing Happened... through

September 5. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, with Sunday

performance August 23 and 30 at 7 pm. Call 350-6863 for ticket information and

directions to the theatre.