Review: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM at Desert Theatricals At Rancho Mirage Amphitheater

Ah, the old musicals, when PC didn't exist and, as the Cole Porter song says, Anything Goes. And so it went with the final production (with presenting partner The City of Rancho Mirage) of Desert Theatrical's 2021/2022 season A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, a tale about a slave named Pseudolus (Gilmore Rizzo) trying to win his freedom by helping his young master Hero (Matthew Tucker) be with the young woman he loves, Philia (Emily Unnasch), who he has only seen through the window of the brothel next door. Yes, she is a courtesan, but she's a virgin (of course she is).

Philia was raised to please men, and be "lovely" as the song tells us, but she has also been raised to only be with the one man who purchases her. And she's been purchased by Captain Miles Gloriosus (Jim Hormel) who has just arrived, after a long stretch of killing and pillaging, to claim his bride. So, yeah, it's about as non-PC as you can get, but it's actually based on the comedic plays of Plautus who was born in 254 B.C, so you know, things were different then. The musical is all in good fun, and so over the top that everyone is clearly a caricature, and it's really damned funny.

Of course it's funny, the 1962 musical has a book written by genius Larry Gelbart (Mash, Tootsie, Masterclass) and Burt Shevelove (a lesser known librettist) with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (his first!), so it's got some pretty spectacular lineage.

The play as it has been written belongs to the men, but they also shine in this production. We have Don H. Harmon giving a very fun turn as Senex, Hero's father and the husband of strong-willed Domina (Mia Mercado); all-pro Randy Doney as Hysterium who goes toe-to-toe with Rizzo (more on him in a hot second); Manny dela Rosa (yes, the movie guy reviewer) in a surprisingly good turn as Lycus. Who knew the guy could sing, dance and act (well, I guess he did) as well as make us laugh.

The reveal of Jim Hormel as the very fit Captain Miles Gloriosus brought an audible gasp from my seatmate, with his bare chest and warrior garb (Hormel, not my seatmate) I daresay he elicited the same response from most of the crowd. He's also a terrific actor with a powerful voice.

As telescoping as the name Hero indicates, all of the action takes place because of him, but it happens mostly around him (much can be said for Philia as well, but we'll get to that in a minute). Fortunately, Sondheim wrote him a few great vocals, and fortunately Tucker has the chops to pull them off.

Many people have played Pseudolus (who is also our narrator, Prologus): Zero Mostel, Whoopie Goldberg, Jason Alexander - to name a few - and I'm sure they did a great job, but trust me when I say Gilmore Rizzo was born to play this role. He's funny, engaging, has a voice like buttah, he can dance, and he's also terrific with physical comedy. His performance was a joy to behold, and he held the audience in the palm of his talented hands for the length of the musical. Bravo!

Bob Drake as Erronius has a very funny running gag, and he makes the most out of it. His portrayal is fun, and Drake does it well, however I will note that all of the "bits" are heightened because of the skillful, and often hilarious, direction and choreography by Ray Limon.

Let's use the Proteans as an example.The Proteans are a trio of players who tell us right away that they're going to be playing a whole bunch of different characters which then becomes another running gag. Christian Fonte, Billy Franco, and Michael Hamlin (the Proteans) were a very well oiled, and hilarious machine, pulling off Limon's direction and choreography, and creating little pockets of comedic magic on stage.

Limon utilizes the same sensibilities with his ensemble, giving them very specific reactions (often in unison) and provides bits of business for them that is generally a silent (but hilarious) comment on the action.

Okay, the female leads. There are two. Mia Mercado plays Domina, a character that is often described in casting sheets as a battle-ax. She's rich, domineering and vain, and Mercado does a fine job with what she's given. Again, this play is all about the men, the ladies are pawns in their games, and Domina is the butt of their jokes.

Emily Rose Unnasch plays Philia, the lovely, virginal courtesan with a brain the size of a house fly. Unnasch resists playing her like a stereotypical dumb blonde, she's more Amy Adams' Giselle in Enchanted, humorously ignorant with an ever cheerful attitude, and a voice straight out of a fairy tale. She doesn't walk as much as she does a grateful interpretive dance across the stage. It's a fun performance, and as always, Unnasch's vocals were flawless.

And then there were the courtesans: Joanne Mulrooney Moser (Vibrata), Alessandra Di Pierro (Geminae Twin), Rita Wagner (Geminae Twin), Ava Sarnowski (Tintinabula), Tori Alforque (Panacea) and Rosemary Galore (Gymnasia). While they don't have any speaking parts, their erotic dances spoke for them, and the ladies were high-kicking and strutting their stuff especially in The House of Marcus Lycus..

The band consisted of Joshua Carr/Conductor & Musical Director ; Leigh Sutherlin/Piano; Bob Marino/Drums; Darrel Gardner/Trumpet; Gary Tole/Trombone; Alan Yankee and John Reilly on Reeds; and Cindy Brogan/Violin. Josh Carr's musical direction is always good, but I will note that a couple of the numbers (mostly the opening and reprise) had a bit of a "Fractured Fairy Tales" feel. But in the grand scheme of things I wasn't sure if it was a wink or a mistake (my seat mates and I discussed), so no harm no foul.

NOTE: a quick exchange with Carr confirms it is written in the music. Oh Sondheim, you wacky guy.

Other stand out musical numbers: Comedy Tonight (Gilmore Rizzo and Ensemble), Everyone Ought to Have a Maid (Gilmore Rizzo, Don H. Harmon, Randy Doney and ensemble), Lovely (Emily Rose Unnasch and Matthew Taylor), I'm Calm (Randy Doney), That Dirty Old Man (Mia Mercado).

The set, lighting design by Gavan Wyrick and wig design by Kathryn Maholic were all top tier, and my only complaint goes for all of their shows: they don't run long enough. One weekend and done. I wish everyone had the opportunity to enjoy this company's work. It's always first rate.

https://www.desert-theatricals.com/

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