Public Theater’s ‘Forum’ frolics with delight in arena
The declaration of “Comedy Tonight!” is all the invitation you need to put a cork in political correctness and let yourself enjoy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum.”
Pittsburgh Musical Theater has lavished the pinnacle of political and sexual satire with talent and bold staging worthy of a romp that shticks it to the denizens of ancient Rome.
And if it’s heartfelt yearning you want, look no further than “Forum’s” ringmaster of zaniness, as realized by the playful Jimmy Kieffer. His Pseudolus is a sly, savvy slave who pines for freedom, and who will go to any lengths to win it.
Pseudolus is so eager to become a citizen of standing, he sings, “Why, I’ll be so conscientious that I may vote twice!” — a line that on Thursday night drew a 21st-century giggle for a 1960s-era comedy.
Book writers Larry Gelbart and Bert Shevelove harnessed the sexist silliness comedy of the day and partnered with a young Stephen Sondheim, for the first time acting as composer and lyricist, with legends George Abbott and Jerome Robbins among those stirring the plot to a fevered pitch of farce and satire.
It has been a decade since Ted Pappas directed and choreographed “Forum” for the Public, and here he reteams with his longtime music director, F. Wade Russo, who was at the baton in 1998.
The 10-piece band fills the
O’Reilly with an orchestral flair and Mr. Pappas juggles clever comedy and song-anddance, in whirlwind of timing and audacity.
In a nod to the throwback nature of the proceedings to the vaudevillian stylings of yesteryear, the O’Reilly Theater stage has been outfitted with a gold-fringed red curtain and an artful mosaic floor.
If the toga-wearing denizens onstage represent the director’s dream cast, then dreams come true, particularly in the pairing of Mr. Kieffer as the master manipulator and Gavan Pamer as fellow slave Hysterium. We are used to seeing Mr. Pamer show off his songand-dance skills, but here, he also gets to exercise his comedy chops, sinking his teeth into songs such as “I’m Calm” while living up to the name Hysterium.
The character most recognizable as ‘60s throwback and with perhaps the juiciest of roles is Senex, the lecherous father of young-and-in-love Hero and shrewish wife Domina. Stephen DaRosa, a Broadway veteran with screen credits including Eddie Cantor on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” is a delight as a lecherous Borscht Belt sprite who gets caught up in a whirlwind of escalating mistaken identities. Ruth Gottschall as Domina,in an outrageous wig for an outrageous character, goes at her character with wide-eyedgusto.
As her son Hero, Jamen Nanthakumar plays a role not too far from his part in last season’s “The Fantasticks.” Hero becomes besotted when he spies the virginal, dim-witted Philia (Mary Elizabeth Drake), a courtesan-in-training in the brothel next door. He promises Pseudolus his freedom if the slave can win the girl for him, even though she has already been sold into marriage to the vainglorious captain Miles Gloriosus (Allan Snyder).
Each member of the Forum ensemble gets a wellearned moment in the spotlight. The three clownish Proteans, for example, (Jonathan Blake Flemings, Andrew Pace and Mark Tinkey) alternately serve Lycus and the captain, while the scantily clad courtesans (Stephanie Maloney, Monica Woods, Brooke Lacy, Andrea Weinzierl, Jessica Walker and Elyse Collier) each has a showcase.
Dependable Pittsburgh performers Jeff Howell and James FitzGerald have significant roles as the greedy brothel owner Lycus and the dottering Erroneous, respectively. They are tangled in a series of mistaken identities, as the jokes keep on coming, oftenwith wide-eyed wonder or a knowing wink from Mr. Kieffer.
When Hero tells Pseudolus, “People do not go around freeing slaves every day,” the slave’s reply is, “Be the first. Start a fashion.” Although the opening number promises “Weighty affairs will just have to wait,” it doesn’t say anything that precludes irony.
When in the O’Reilly, do as these Romans do. With the return of “Forum,” laughter and a good time are the order of the day.