Courtesy of The Muny
Jason Kravits, Jeffrey Schecter, and Marrick Smith in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."
If there’s a moral to a show like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, it’s that anything that can go wrong, will. However, as the timeless farce shows, sometimes those mishaps can make for an unexpected happy ending. In the case of The Muny this week, that happy ending was Jeffrey Schecter’s quick turnaround to step in as Pseudolus, Forum’s leading man.
Formerly to be played by Peter Scolari, Pseudolus is a cunning Roman slave who longs to be free. Unfortunately, St. Louis climate got the best of Scolari’s allergies and landed him with a sinus infection too detrimental for a stage performance. The Muny invited Schecter to fill the lovable protagonist's gladiator sandals (quite a change from the wings he wore as Scuttle in last week’s The Little Mermaid).
If you missed that backstory, you would never have guessed that Schecter had only been rehearsing his role for less than a handful of days. A show like Forum is not an easy one to “fake it ‘til you make it,” either. The humor of the farce is all in the timing—the “just barely missed each other” entrances and exits, the quick-witted banter, the choreography--and Schecter doesn’t miss a beat. He drives the humor and maintains the pace of the production so that the audience is almost never not laughing.
Director Gary Griffin’s production is not one to be missed. In this musical comedy set in ancient Rome, Pseudolus plans to win his freedom by helping his flighty master Hero (Marrick Smith) win the lovely-but-ditzy Philia (Ali Ewoldt) while Hero’s parents (E. Faye Butler and Mark Linn-Baker) are away. And the plan seems to be flawless... except that for the small detail that Philia has already been sold by next-door-neighbor Marcus Lycus (Jason Kravits) to a mighty sailor (Nathaniel Hackmann) who is presently on the way to pick up his precious goods.
If that seems like a lot to keep track of, imagine how Schecter must have felt. However, it doesn’t hurt that he was surrounded by an equally hilarious all-star cast. John Tartaglia plays Hysterium, the slave with the voice of reason (and worry) to Pseudolus’ plan. When he’s not inducing laughter, Tartaglia animates his singing just as much as his acting, made clear by his songs like the seriously skittish “I’m Calm,” or his unforgettable pink dress performace of “Lovely (Reprise).” Linn-Baker plays an oddly charming (yet slightly pervy) Senex, and Nathaniel Hackmann shines as the boastful Miles Gloriosus. As far at the female leads go, Butler’s emphatic voice as the commanding Domina struck a tiny bit of fear and a whole lot of awe into everyone in that audience. And while her character may be dainty, Ewoldt’s singing is nothing short of powerful.
As far as the technical side of the show goes, Tim Mackabee’s simple set design makes a perfect playground for the antics of these actors. Perhaps the show is more about the bodily humor than the bodily movement, but Alex Sanchez’s choreography brilliantly showcases that humor, especially shining during the introduction of the Lycus’s courtesans--complete with full-on gymnastics routines.
In his notes in the program, Muny executive producer Mike Isaacson dubs A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum “one of the—if not the—best musical comedies ever.” After leaving the second act with a stomach slightly sore with laughter, I think The Muny does that title justice.
See A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at The Muny (#1 Theatre in Forest Park) from July 5-11. For tickets and more information, go to muny.org.
