A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Agassiz Theatre

Nov. 11-13, 18-20

A musical is supposed to be a light thing, filled--like the pinadas they have for children at Cristmas in Latin countries--with candy and small toys; a couple hours of pleasure. By this definition, a good musical is not a political, revolutionary art form, although Hair has some pretensions in this area (they failed). Probably the most stirring musical that also happened to be good was the original 1932 version of Showboat, when Paul Robeson changed the racist, stereotypical lines of "Old Man River" into a song of defiance, causing Oscar Hammerstein, the lyricist, to stomp off the practice stage muttering "Let the son of a bitch write his own goddam song."

And so, if the case of the Radcliffe Grant-in-Aid Society's production of A Funny Thing Happened to the Way to the Forum has nothing more to offer than good acting, mad cavorting on stage, fine singing, Stephen Sondeim songs and Shevelove-Gelbart one-liners delivered with perfect timing--well; sit back and be entertained by it all. Forget the silly story line; don't look for morals. As the slave Pseudolus sings, "Morals tomorrow, comedy tonight."

Comedy tonight it is. Jeff Zax gives an excellent performance as Pseudolus, obsessed with one thing: getting his freedom. He conceives a plot to get the girl for his master Hero and his life for himself, circumventing Roman tradition and the captain Miles Gloriosus (among others) in the process. Zax has about one sober moment on stage when, as Prologus, he sets the scene and asks for the blessing of Thespis. But there is a nuttiness in his eyes which leaves you with the feeling that he's not all that serious. It turns out that he wasn't.

Zax strikes almost exactly the right balance between a mad Rasputin and a slightly zany Bobby Fischer, plotting and counter-plotting all the moves to freedom. His role is the centerpiece of the musical, and he adds direction and keeps the musical teetering somewhere out on the brink, where, of course, it is supposed to be. The trouble with doing Forum is that the shadow of Zero Mostel looms over this central part like a chicken hawk over the barnyard, ready to swoop down on young actors. Zax stacks up--he won't make anybody forget Mostel, but he will make a lot of people laugh.

The rest of the cast is just about as proficient. Mark Szpak as Hero, Pseudolus's master who falls in love with a woman from the House of Lycus who is to be sold as a courtesan, plays the part well as a Roman Holden Caulfield, rolling and tumbling all over himself in first love. Yet there's another side to him too, cajoling Pseudolus into risking his relatively safe position--for freedom to be sure--but also for Hero. The song "Free" is a real high-point, spotlighting the two best male singers n the cast. Pseudolus has convinced himself that freedom is not worth the risk, and Hero whispers "free" seductively into his ear. Zax's face lights up; maybe it didn't take all that much persuading, but after all, the play must go on.

Anne Dufresne as Philia, the courtesan who is to be sold to the great captain Miles, is properly, well, courtesanly. She's perfect as the broken-voiced dumb blonde who always gets three and five mixed up. She brings perhaps the most depth to her part--she may be a virgin but after all she's been instructed in the arts of life (which Hero hasn't been) and when she sings "I'm lovely," she really is. But that voice ain't the voice of any virgin I ever heard; that's a Weimar cabaret voice, smokey Blue Angel sultriness.

The rest of the cast is proficient, but mostly a backdrop for these three. David Levy as Hysterium, the slave-in-chief on whom Pseudolus has leverage because of his collection of pornographic pottery, is suitably hysterical, in all senses of the word. He runs about like a Skinner-box mouse on Thorazine. Taking time out to sing "I'm Calm," he shows he's as cool under fire as barbecue sauce in a heat wave. Andy Borowitz is on target too, in his characterization of Lycus, a gentleman and procurer. He adds just the right dash of street hip, and being skinny with black moustache, owes more than just a nod to Groucho in his delivery. Vincent DiBenedetto, Marc Johnson and Philip Murray take their bit parts (they sing triple as Lycus's eunuchs, slaves and the soldiers of Miles Gloriosus) and polish them until they gleem.

THE OTHER CHARACTERIZATIONS are competent, but not as strong. Terry Knickerbocker as Senex, Hero's lecherous father, delivers his lines in a gutteral huff, and his singing is so stiff as to be wooden. Diane Nabatoff as Domina, his wife, does a generally good job, but is hampered because she and Knickerbocker never seem to develop the right rapport. Jim Pullam brings only braggadocio to his characterization of Miles Gloriosus; it's a tough role to sing, but Pullam can't quite hit the bass notes.

The play is musically excellent. Laura Garwin, directing a pit orchestra for the first time, has reason to be proud--opening night suffered from a few rough edges, but the important thing was timing, and when the music was needed it was there.

The play comes to a rush-to-judgement end that is the measure of its frenzy. It's a point where sloppy acting or directing would be glaringly apparent, and the musical can simultaneously fall apart at the seams and flat on its face. The Grant-in-Aid production sales through this scene on a breeze. In the intricate finale, everyone scampers on and off the stage constantly and the all-important timing is perfect.

It seems that if you are drawn to acting you head towards straight drama, and if you can really sing then you are drawn to opera. But if you can do a little of both, then the musical is your forte. One could argue that the cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had an easy task anyway--great lines, those wonderful Sondheim songs--but they can do more than just a little singing and acting. In fact, they are very competent, and the musical is highly recommended. It's entertainment.