BWW Reviews: Funny Things Happen in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM at Bayou City Theatrics

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is the musical farce created in 1962 by Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart and Stephen Sondheim, adapted from Roman playwright Plautus, about the mad plots a cunning slave will scheme in order to earn his freedom.

Bayou City Theatrics starts off its spring season in good humor with its production of the comedy. The lyrics of the opening song promise "Something appealing, something appalling, something for everyone...tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight," and this production certainly does not disappoint.

The story centers on the house of Senex. There we meet Pseudolus, a cheeky, insubordinate, yet lovable slave who endlessly connives to obtain his freedom. When master Senex and wife journey to visit relatives, Pseudolus looks towards Hero, the teenaged son of Senex, to set him free. Upon learning that Hero loves one of the courtesans from the neighboring house of ill repute, Pseudolus agrees to help the innocent Hero win the maiden's love, in exchange for his freedom.

The production's cast is most impressive. In a role originally written for a male, Whitney Zangarine is excellent as the savvy, but ever-so-lovable Pseudolus. She is engaging, energetic and armed with impeccable comedic timing. As she ingeniously leads the story through one crazy scene after another, it seems certain that she was born for this role.

Colton Berry as Hysterium, Pseudolus' unwilling partner in crime, is hysterical, both literally and figuratively. His neurotic nature is just enough to remain genuine, entertaining, and true to his name.

Will Ledesma as Senex and his overbearingly shrill wife Domina, Kelly Waguespack, make a humorous pair. He's self-absorbed and she's domineering.

Luke Hamilton is the adorable Hero. As Phillia's courtier, he is just the right combination of clueless and confident. He has the audience rooting for him. Nicole Norton-Slatnick is lovely as Phillia, the courtesan whose only skillset involves being lovely. That's okay though because Norton-Slatnick imbues her character with such likability, it doesn't matter if she's dim-witted. Jason Kolbicz oozes bravado as military captain Miles Gloriosus. His air of authority combined with his booming baritone voice convincingly played up his character's narcissism.

Of course, we can't overlook the neighbors. Laz Estrada as Marcus Lycus, and his house full of courtesans - Michelle Mayo, Ashley Carfine, Christa Ruiz and Jessica Rohe. They all (Estrada included) bring beauty and personality to the stage. Each girl winningly performs her own dynamic routine and Estrada excels with his pomp and circumstance. Trevor Grace, as the elderly slow-walking Erronious, has one of the best running gags of the night.

A round of applause goes out to the originally male Proteans played by gleeful actresses Tori Shoemaker, Megan Vaughn and Ashlee Zoch. They are an integral part of the show. While squealing and bumbling around, the tireless trio triumphantly play an assortment of roles from eunuchs to Roman soldiers.

Under the direction of Colton Berry, each member of the cast shines brilliantly and it's hard to not like any of their characters. Berry has a good eye for the timing and staging necessary to make all the farcical elements fit together seamlessly. The actors often create sight gags that blend into the dialogue and set-ups are carefully prepped for later use. The spirited cast also executes Luke Hamilton's kinetic choreography effortlessly, and their vigor never falters.

The set by Colton Berry consists of three houses of Roman noblemen. Each house is absent of color yet richly detailed and very well-done. The same attention to detail and bold perfection comes through in the makeup and costumes. The same attention to detail and bold perfection comes through Berry's makeup and costumes. The costumes stick to mostly crème tones against the actors' alabaster make-up. The design choice is intriguing and is very welcome from previously bright productions of the show.

Naturally BCT is doing what it does best by putting its own re-imagining on the politically archaic comedy. The updated and modern staging of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED succeeds. BCT takes these archetypical characters and fleshes them out with more dimension than originally intended. Combined with putting its own spin on the show's gender roles, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED gets a nice facelift, making it fresh.

The musical, as a farce, is jam- packed with outrageous situations and hilarious moments. A good production needs to be fast-paced, witty and energetic. In keeping up with the momentum it is easy to be found lacking, yet this production remains polished in every aspect. This is, quite simply, one of the funniest and well-produced musical comedies I have ever seen. The farcical depiction of ancient Rome is ripe with smart, comical moments, abundant energy, endless laughs and splendid choreography.

Bayou City Theatrics' production of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM runs through March 1st. For tickets and more information visit www.bayoucitytheatrics.com.

Photo credits: BCT Staff