Roman Heist Comedy Finds Music

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

Location: Agassiz Theatre

DATE: May 5-7, 12-14 at 8 p.m.

Director: Bronwen E. Everill ’05

Producer: Janine H. Mandel ’07

Mysterious potions, a family torn apart, and the courtesan next-door all play a part in one Roman slave’s quest for freedom this Thursday at the Agassiz Theater. Despite the musical’s sometime-serious undertones, foppery and frivolity will abound at the Harvard Student Theater Advancing Growth and Empowerment (STAGE) production of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

At the core of the story is Pseudolus, a slave who yearns for liberty more than anything else. When his master, young Hero (played by Matthew L. Christian ’06) falls in love with his neighbor’s courtesan, Pseudolus sees his chance to win freedom. His plan: Buy the beautiful Philia away from her master, the licentious Lycus; give her to the amorous Hero; and get out of town.

This derivative of a play by Plautus continues a fine tradition of Roman ribaldry. It’s similar to the recent Harvard production of the comedist’s “Mostellaria:” the two cover comparable ground of debauchery and deception, although “Forum” captures the spirit of the Roman playwright with a lighter comedic touch. The play’s exaggerated action and sheer silliness lend it a certain tongue-in-cheek tone, which alternately creates and defuses tension each moment.

The cheeky character of Pseudolus, played by Thomas A. Dichter ’08, contributes significantly to that mood. “Zero Mostel set a precedent—he defined [the role],” said Dichter, referring to the actor who played the scheming slave in the canonical 1966 movie. But Dichter’s acting brings an earnest disingenuity to the show that’s all his own. “He’s a conniving character, but I’m pretty fond of him,” said director Bronwen E. Everill ’05.

Each member of the cast continues the accentuation of exaggerated hilarity, making sure their take on the theme is appropriate to their role. Sarah E. Stein ’08 plays Domina, Hero’s overbearing mother, with appropriately overblown hauteur. The sleazy profligacy of Lycus, the slave-owner (embodied by Justin V. Rodriguez ’07) contrasts well with the wistfully innocent Hero and the glib Pseudolus. Each individual character’s excesses are played to the fullest in their songs. Here, Sondheim’s score is as snappy and melodic as ever.

As a production of Harvard STAGE, an organization whose main focus is to promote theater and the arts in Boston public schools, “Forum” promises to bring a taste of classic Broadway to the Cambridge stage.

The production’s burlesque trappings belie a more serious theme, what Everill called “the overwhelming desire to be free...Everyone can sympathize with that.”

—Staff writer Mary A. Brazelton can be reached at mbrazelt@fas.harvard.edu.