Review: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Review of the Sunday, December 15, 2024 matinee performance at The Max at Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia. Starring Erin Weaver, Christopher Bloch, Sherri L. Edelen, Zachary Keller, Cameron Loyal, Mike Millan, Nolan Montgomery, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Kaylee Olson, Lawrence Redmond, Ryan Sellers, Harrison Smith, Emily Steinhardt, Kuhoo Verma and Hank Von Kolnitz. Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Scenic design by Jimmy Stubbs. Costume design by Erik Teague. Lighting design by Jason Lyons. Sound design by Eric Norris. Fight choreography by Casey Kaleba. Direction and choreography by Matthew Gardiner. 2 hours, 30 minutes including one intermission.

2024 has been a hell of a year, but somehow it seems right and poetic that the first show we saw over these last twelve months was the final work of Stephen Sondheim (Here We Are), and the last show we saw was his first solo effort, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This revival is happening at the Capitol-area's Tony-winning regional theater, Signature Theatre, known for its frequent Sondheim productions. Under the pitch-perfect direction of Matthew Gardiner, this is one top-notch romp.

Gardiner, who also choreographed with athletic and showbizzy panache, keeps things running at a breathless pace, and takes controlled chaos to an artistic level. A hallmark of great farce is when everyone is on the same page, and he has gathered a company of just such a group of actor-singer-physical comedians, led by the endlessly energetic Erin Weaver as Pseudolus/Prologous. I remember literally thinking, "She must be exhausted after every performance," and I knew from the first seconds of "Comedy Tonight" that we were in expert hands. Further, she endeared herself to us with a pointed and utterly charming "Free." Her vigor and commitment is clearly infectious given the rest of the company managed to keep up with her.

As Pseudolus' partner-in-crime, Hysterium, Mike Millan delights with controlled mania and a face that is surely part elastic. As the lovey-dovey romantic couple, Hero and Philia, Zachary Keller and Kuhoo Verma, sing like angels and pull off some comic moves that would have made Lucy and Ethel proud. Both play with stereotypes that are familiar, and in lesser hands would have been boring and obvious; instead, they come up with some ingenious surprises. Other standouts include the cleverly disguised Sherri L. Edelen as Erronius who manages to stop the show with a running gag that gets truly better each time it comes around again. Lycus, procurer of courtesans, is played with a devilish sneer by Lawrence Redmond, and Christopher Bloch is a riot as dirty old man/hen-pecked husband Senex. Both dip their toes carefully in the stereotype pool and then jump in head first with extremely creative twists. Tracy Lynn Olivera is a hilarious force of nature as Domina and never resists a chance to make a moment about her - a compliment on the highest order. In a similar vein, Cameron Loyal chews the scenery as the self-absorbed manly man, Miles Gloriosus. 

 

This production not only plays farce to the extreme, but is firmly in the sex comedy realm, with tons of double entendre and physical bits of phallic sight gags. The courtesans, are naturally, highly sexualized, and here are cast openly, including the Geminae, "twin" men (Ryan Sellers and Hank von Kolnitz) who enjoy kissing each other. A lot. There's Gymnasia, played with erotic fluidity by Nolan Montgomery, and a similarly leggy and robust Emily Steinhardt as Panacea is the DMV's Angie Schworer, if you will. Finally, there's Kaylee Olson whose shakes and rolls as Vibrata titillate in all the best ways. (She's also the dance captain, and Sellers is also the fight captain.) As wonderful as the courtesans are, I would be remiss not to mention the other ensemble group in Forum, the Proteans - a trio of players (played by Sellers, von Kolnitz and Harrison Smith) who take on maybe a dozen roles, and often more than one in the same scene. They are quick change artists, with a physical comedy prowess that calls to mind The Three Stooges and The Marx Brothers. Each time they appear, the energy kicks up a notch, and you are guaranteed a belly laugh.

 

As usual, the production values at Signature are first rate, with colorful, whimsical lighting (by Jason Lyons) that match the colorful, whimsical and clever costumes (by Erik Teague). All of this is on a farce-friendly, Roman-adjacent set designed by Jimmy Stubbs. The 14 piece orchestra under the baton of Jon Kalbfleisch sounded terrific.

This production of Forum continues through January 12th, and I highly recommend snagging any remaining tickets. This Sondheim classic isn't performed all that frequently, and certainly not at this level, so fans will not want to miss this!

📸: C. Mueller