Recommended
MadKap Productions live up to their name in Stephen Sondheim’s ridiculous musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” directed by Wayne Mell.
The story ostensibly takes place in ancient Rome spoofing the absurdities of life, particularly romance and sex (then and now).
Using broad humor, slapstick shtick and endless innuendo, this is very much like an extended skit with music that might have been performed at a Catskill’s resort.
Hero (Tyler Lord) is the son of Senex (Mark Anderson) and Domina (Erin Renee Baumrucker). He is in love with Philia (Emily Lewis) a virgin courtesan in the house of Marcus Lycus (Daniel Leahy).
Hero’s slave, Pseudolous (Ed Rutherford), convinces Hero that in exchange for freedom he can arrange a liaison between Hero and Philia. The one complication is that Philia is owned by Marcus Lycus who has contracted to sell her to “the great Roman captain” Miles Gloriosus.
A further complication is that as part of the ruse Hero’s father comes to believe that Philia is a maid in his house and he has romantic designs on the girl as well.
During the ensuing madness and subterfuge, the remaining courtesans from the house of Marcus Lycus (Abby Glaws, Beth Fine, Jubilee Tai, Raymond Cam Truong, Anna Rose Steinmeyer, Katie Kotila) are paraded about to display their many talents.
Swept up in the plot are next door neighbor Erronius (Gayle Starr) and Hysterium (Andrew Buel), chief slave in the household of Senex.
Adding to the pandemonium are The Proteans (Aidan Espinosa, Owen Espinosa, Mitchell Shaw) a trio of hilarious characters who switch between playing eunuchs in the house of Marcus Lycus and soldiers under the command of Miles Gloriosus.
Reminiscent of wisecracking actor comedians like Mel Brooks or Zero Mostel, Rutherford as Pseudolous acts as ringmaster of ceremonies to this circus absurdum. On stage ninety percent of the time, he breaks the fourth wall describing the action and he is central in the plot and much of the cornball humor. Rutherford though, brings his own winsome personality and unique comedic sensibility to the role.
Lord as Hero who recently appeared in MadKap’s equally outlandish production of “Romeo and Bernadette,” reprises his portrayal of the confused and innocent lovelorn youth.
Back in drag on the Skokie Theatre stage, this time with a veil, is Andrew Buel who very convincingly plays the tormented household slave Hysterium entrusted with looking after Hero while his parents are away. Buel was seen recently as the coconut bra wearing dancer Luther Billis in South Pacific. His lanky form and expressive visage lend an additional comical dimension to his performance.
The obvious sexuality of the courtesans might be seen by some individuals with contemporary sensibilities as gratuitously sexualizing women. Likewise, Leahy’s swishy physicality as Marcus Lycus is rather stereotypical. But it all plays well in the context of this retro vibe script of Shevelove and Gelbart. After all B.C. was not very P.C. and neither was 1962 when this play was written.
The Geminae courtesan dance of Tai and Truong with choreography by Abby Glaws was a standout in the otherwise somewhat lackluster delicatae. They might ham it up more and enjoy the opportunity to be a bit campier in future performances.
We missed seeing the very capable Jeremy Ramey who is credited here with music design and orchestration of what appeared to be a prerecorded backtrack for the vocals.
The one fail of opening night was a poor sound mix that at times overpowered the performers and was complicated by some inconsistent mic issues. Presumably this will be addressed in future performances.
Costumes by Dame Erickson were spot on especially Gloriosus and the soldiers as well as the trio of pink gowns meant to add to the confusion of ACT II.
The simple set design works well but may benefit from an element that ties the three set pieces together in some unified fashion. Perhaps a Roman arch? Pat Henderson’s lighting seemed a bit hot to me and might have been dimmed a bit to keep everything from looking too flat.
As is usual for MadKap the performers’ singing is exceptional. The baritone of Perkel as Gloriosus in “Bring Me My Bride” was perfectly commanding. Sondheim’s use of wordplay in the lyrics is quite evident in this work though aside from the classic “Comedy Tonight” there are not any other really memorable tunes.
Overall, I heard a number of positive comments from the audience as they filed out. This is indeed madcap humor and a lot of good old fashioned nonsensical fun. Sometimes that’s just perfect for a summer theater experience.
Details: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” by MadKap Productions is at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie, IL through August 3, 2025. For tickets visit SkokieTheatre.org or call 847-677-7761.
Reviewer: Reno Lovison
For more reviews visit Theatre in Chicago