Slaves, prostitutes, eunuchs and Steven Sondheim, what could be more fun?
I attended the Saturday night performance of the Broadway hit ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ and the first thing I asked director John Hayes was why this play.
He told me this is comedy at its best, pure vaudeville.
The original play was loosely based upon the farces of Roman playwright Plautus in 190 B.C. and was said to be the first comedy that focused on class systems and slavery.
Fast forward 2,000 years and we find playwright Burt Shevelove writing a book about these farces, joining ranks with Steven Sondheim and voila you get the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1962.
The original lead role of Pseudolus, the slave who wanted his freedom was played by Zero Mostel and the revival in 1996 starred Nathan Lane.
In the production I attended the very funny Warren Schein played Pseudolus.
It is always so much fun to get to go backstage and watch all the hustle and bustle as the cast transform from regular people into beautifully clad courtesans, slaves or eunuchs.
This is where the magic of theater begins and where reality is left behind.
I got to chat with one of the choreographers, Barbara Tromba-Murphy who along with Penny Payne was in charge of all the running around on stage.
I also met Peter Triolo (the set designer), Lisa Simon-Weitz (stage manager) and a few of the gorgeous courtesans. Lucky me.
I asked them how long they had been working on this production and they said since late January. This means that they have put in four months of daily effort without a single pay check.
This is a testament to the love of theater.
John Hayes told me that the play constantly breaks down the fourth wall which means that the actors will on occasion have dialogue with the audience. And so that is what happened.
The first song was the Sondheim smash hit “Comedy Tonight” with the entire cast on stage. And as the evening unfolded we got to meet the young man Hero who fell in love with the virgin courtesan Philia.
We also were treated to the efforts of slave Pseudolus who spent the evening trying to help the young Hero win his true love.
As is typical of so many stories it turns out to be an Oedipal triangle with the young Hero having to face the dreaded Gloriosus.
Lots of twists and turns, mistaken identities and lots of pretty courtesans acting seductive and pretty.
One can see why this play was such a smash hit.
You have those glorious Sondheim tunes coupled with vaudeville humor. This kind of combo is what made Broadway one of the most appealing art forms on earth.
So thank you Herricks Community Players and thank you John Hayes for all your effort to bring some magic to our little town.
Thank you Stacey Weinberger for looking like a young Sarah Jessica Parker and for being so pretty. Thank you George Bontigao for being such a charming eunuch. And thank you Warren Schein for being so funny.
If you have not seen the show it is still around this weekend.
And you can’t beat the prices at intermission. Tea is $1 and a donut is $1.
Tea and donuts on Broadway will set you back at least $20.
I say stick to our theater group. They are just as funny, just as pretty, their voices are just as good and at 1/10th the price.
