A bunch of people, dressed in tunics, are singing show tunes and acting silly in an old red barn in Berwick. Is it some sort of cult? No, it’s summer theater in Maine.
The venerable Hackmatack Playhouse, in its 40th season, has opened a production of the great musical farce “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and it’s very, very funny.
The Sondheim/Gelbart/Shevelove musical comedy has had many revivals since its Broadway premiere in 1962 (Hackmatack boasts that this is its fourth production of the show since 1974). The reason is simple: It has just the right mix of song, dance, pretty girls, funny characters and madcap humor to make for a very satisfying entertainment.
But, of course, you’ve got to pull it all off, and, based on Friday’s performance, it’s safe to say the cast assembled by Hackmatack, under the direction of Jay Rodger, is more than up to the task.
As Pseudolus, Stewart Urist makes the most of a role originally made famous by Zero Mostel and later by Nathan Lane. He’s got the stuff to be convincing as the fast-talking conniver who drives the plot. He’s hilarious in his facial expressions and takes, seeming to constantly be herding other characters around the stage as he tries to manipulate his way into becoming a free man.
Steve Small, as the aptly named fellow slave Hysterium, is a riot as he tries to respond to the wishes of Pseudolus as well as to those of their master Senex, a laughable sleaze personified by Scott Smith.
The young lovers caught up in the 2nd Century B.C. shenanigans are nicely realized by Jerry Craven and Sara Packin, playing two cute airheads who sing about love and loveliness while being tossed about on waves of authoritarian silliness that threaten their destiny.
Variations on Middle Eastern, ballet and just plain raunchy dance vie with some old-time soft shoe to provide nice highlights to the witty songs by Sondheim.
This show is the real thing, and the folks at Hackmatack have put together a production worthy of a classic.
Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.
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