A very Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at The Riverbank
MARINE CITY, Mich.–Theater-goers in search of a cōmoedia musica hilarissima (Latin which roughly translates—I think—to “cheerful comedy of music”) should head to The Riverbank Theatre in Marine City to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This sassy romp through ancient Rome, directed by Edmond Reynolds and music directed by Paul J. Decker, never lets up on the laughs.
The farce features a cast of characters in a fantastic array of togas, veils, sequins and tunics, a classic twisted plot of love and multiple mistaken identities, and humor that’s mildly racy without being raunchy.
Roman slave Pseudolus dreams of earning his freedom, and sees his opportunity when Hero, the son of Pseudolus’ owners Senex and Domina, falls in love with Philia, a beautiful virgin from the house of courtesans who has been sold to a Roman military commander. Pseudolus devises a simple plan to procure Philia for Hero in exchange for his freedom.
Fellow slave Hysterium must be brought in on the plan when he discovers Hero and Philia together while Senex and Domina are out of town. In the meantime, Pseudolus must convince the owner of the courtesans Marcus Lycus that Philia is dying of the plague, convince the unexpectedly returned Senex that Philia is the new house maid, convince neighbor Erronius that his house is haunted, and convince the newly arrived commander Miles Gloriosus that Philia is dead. Of course, his plan is complicated over and over, and Pseudolus must think on his feet as he concocts new lies to conceal previous ones. The climax of the second act features a fantastically hilarious and chaotic scene involving multiple characters in the same disguise. Of course, as with any farce or madcap comedy, everyone winds up with someone special in the end, although for most of them it is not who they expect.
Part of the success of this production is the superb casting; all cast members exhibit an ease with comedy, including the ability to remain straight-faced while Pseudolus and Hysterium are floundering and flustering to keep their plan afloat. Michael A. Gravame gives a rousing (and very physical) performance as the melodramatic and flamboyant Pseudolus. For a slave who cannot read, he appears brilliant in his ability to keep all the fabricated stories straight. Gary Gray does a great job as the uptight and cowering Hysterium, who has developed his own personal therapy to talk himself out of his anxiety. Tony Amato as Senex and Pamela Plewa as Domina are masters of comedic timing and expressive facial acting. Their scenes are among the highlights of the show. Patrick O’Connor Cronin maintains a very high opinion of himself as the great warrior and commander Miles Gloriosus, but is not ashamed to sob hysterically when he believes “Philia,” a woman he has never met, is dead.
Philia, played by Katy Kujala, looks clueless enough to convince us she is a “pretty house—with nobody home,” but relishes the attention given her by the nervous and goo-goo eyed Caleb Kreidler as Hero. Marcus Lycus, played by Sal Rubino, is just sleazy enough to let Pseudolus take the heat for all the mix-ups, and adeptly pulls off one of the funniest physical gags of the show. And Frank Bublitz plays the visually challenged and gullible Erronius, whose funny appearances are repeated cyclically.
The remainder of the cast (the Courtesans and Proteans/guards/eunuchs) is equally skilled at the physical comedy as at being the straight counterparts to Pseudolus and Hysterium.
The musical numbers are employed to expose characters’ personality quirks or to disclose their relationships to each other. In “Lovely,” Philia (Kujala) and Hero (Kreidler) are truly lovely together as they blend and balance their voices in a romantic duet. “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” is a somewhat antic duet—no, a trio—wait, I mean a quartet—that gives the men, especially Senex (Amato), a chance to show their vocal and comedic skills. “Impossible” is a humorous back-and-forth duet that conveys both the confidence and lack of confidence of Hero and his father Senex as they vie for the same girl. Plewa impresses with both her vocals and her acting skills as Domina in “That Dirty Old Man.” In “That’ll Show Him,” Hero is confused by Philia’s plan to get what she thinks is revenge by being just the opposite of vengeful. The opening chorus and finale feature the song that the audience may be most familiar with, “Comedy Tonight..”
Mention must be given to the costumes and the set. The set design is essentially a very efficient arrangement of doors, windows and walls that are creatively painted, yet nothing about it feels underdone. The costumes are wonderful—colorful and believable, embellished with just the right placement of sequins and accessories. The Courtesans wear especially interesting costumes, including one featuring a bra made of grapes.
The best acting and vocal talent would be nearly useless without a good script, and Forum (book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) delivers that. The combination of the complex, multiple-layered false identity plot (in which Pseudolus is the only person who really knows who everyone really is) and the witty dialogue that is paced just right will keep the audience smiling, chuckling and laughing out loud.