HOW TO GO
What: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Where: Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton
When: May 31-June 16; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.
Cost: $17 for adults; $15 for students and seniors
Tickets: (937) 424-8477 or www.daytonplayhouse.com
The Dayton Playhouse concludes its season with composer Stephen Sondheim and librettists Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart’s 1962 Tony Award-winning musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” beginning Friday.
Deemed by many theater historians and devotees as one of the funniest musicals ever written, “Forum,” set in ancient Rome and adapted from the Roman comedies of Plautus, weaves an extremely clever tapestry of hilarity and mayhem. The humorous tale concerns Pseudolus, a slave who stops at nothing to win his freedom by ensuring his lovesick master Hero is partnered with the virginal Philia, the girl next door. “Forum,” originally starring Zero Mostel, who reprised his Tony-winning portrayal in the relatively faithful 1966 film version, gave Sondheim his first opportunity to compose music and lyrics for Broadway having contributed lyrics for “West Side Story” and “Gypsy.” His tuneful, breezy score contains such gems as “Comedy Tonight,” “Love, I Hear,” “Free,” “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid,” “Lovely,” “Impossible” and “Bring Me My Bride.”
“I’m a big Sondheim fan,” said director and Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame member Jim Lockwood, who appeared in the Playhouse’s 1969 and 1986 productions of “Forum.” “I think it’s the illusion of being conversational that draws me to his lyrics. I say illusion because Sondheim’s lyrics are anything but ordinary. In ‘Forum,’ the music, like the lyrics, seems ordinary, like standard Broadway tunes. But in actuality, it contains changes in meter and tonality to challenge the best of musicians.”
Lockwood, who previously staged an outstanding production of Sondheim’s “Assassins” for Beavercreek Community Theatre, saw the original London cast of “Forum” in 1964. He has been excited about staging the show for the first time due to the sheer cohesiveness of the farcical material, an impeccably intertwined marriage of book and score.
“Sondheim’s lyrics are a pitch-perfect match for the brilliant wit of the libretto,” he said. “ ‘Forum’ also happens to be a perfect example of unity of place, a street in Rome, unity of time, no scene breaks, and unity of theme, best summarized in original opening number ‘Love Is in the Air’ now heard only as background to the opening of Act 2. Audiences won’t analyze this, but can’t help but feel the effect.”
“The book of this musical is brilliantly written,” echoed Jeff Sams, who portrays the brutish Roman warrior aptly named Miles Gloriosus. “The comic bits are timeless and tightly composed. I have been given great liberty to make Miles my own character. He is boisterous and ill-tempered, which I tap into generously. The fun thing about this show is that the camp and comedy may happen on the stage, but the audience gets to be onboard the whole time.”
The principal cast includes Brad Mattingly as Pseudolus, Matthew Glenn as Hero, Mary Mykytka as Philia, Brad Bishop as Hysterium, Saul Caplan as Senex, Claire Hurley as Domina, Jamie McQuinn as Marcus Lycus and Richard Young as Erronius. Sandra Hyde provides choreography. Ron Kindell serves as music director.
“When directing comedy, it’s important to choose the right co-conspirators,” said Lockwood. “A feel for comedy is not easily taught or directed. Like all theater, comedy demands honesty. If audiences are going to care, they need to feel a connection to the characters no matter how broadly they are portrayed. I want our audiences to ache from laughter.”
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