![]() ![]() Where: Hendersonville Community Theatre, 229 S Washington St.Cast Members Leading Ladies: Group shot. What: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” Take a chance on this classic, and laugh all the way home. ![]() Please, don’t be like me and judge a play by its name. “Forum” is the first show of the 2020 season, and HCT is off to a great start. Yet, somehow they find the talent that is often comparable to much larger companies. ![]() Over and over they present shows that many community theaters would shy away from. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Hendersonville Community Theatre is daring. Together, they are the glue that holds together a show that is busting a comedic gut. Forrester, one of my personal favorite actors, is appropriately hysterical, running amuck and over reacting to every little thing. It is a physical role, as well as a role that requires a solid singing voice, an animated face, and strong body language. We last saw Schlueter last season in “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” but here we see him as the mastermind of all that can go wrong. It is suffice to say “Forum” directly and indirectly employs a great many tried-and-true theater methods in this farce.ĭirector Jim Walker chose wisely when casting Schlueter as Pseudolus and Forrester as Hysterium, who, in my opinion, are the stars of the show. But here’s a few inviting hints: There are beautiful and colorful courtesans and their shyster pimp there are three proteans who are always doing something goofy in the background three-way crossdressing chase scenes the very vain and short Captain Miles Gloriosus (played by Tim Ross), stinky potions and the old, old guy Erroneous (played so very well by Bob Reece) whose hair is only matched by Domnia’s flame-retardant coif. To rehash the blow-by-blow antics and pandemonium would be a spoiler to what makes “Forum” so much fun to watch. He also enlists the help of Hysterium, head household slave and handwringer of all things. Pseudolus, being a faker and schemer, agrees to help his master in return for this freedom. Love-struck Hero confides his love for Philia to his personal slave, Pseudolus, in hopes of finding a way to marry her despite the social barriers. You get used to them pretty easily, and you begin to understand the underlying meanings once the characters reveal themselves.)Īs if falling in love is not difficult enough, Hero and Philia’s social statuses thicken the plot: He is the son of a well-to-do couple (Senex played by Bob Pompeo and Domina played by Ellen Pappas), and she is a would-be courtesan, which is just a polite word for a high-class prostitute - but she is a virgin, which is important. (Note: Don’t let these Greek/Roman names throw you. The music and lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim.Ĭitations aside, “Forum” is a play as much about the theater as it is about two star-crossed lovers (Hero and Philia, played by Cody Pero and Tasha Pepi), who are brought together through the zany and madcap efforts of two slaves, Pseudolus and Hysterium, played by Brent Schlueter and Jonathan Forrester. And it was made into a movie in 1966, which by today’s standard did OK at the box office, and it received only one Oscar for Best Music Scoring for an Adaptation. ![]() It has been produced by major theater companies around the world, including Australia and Hong Kong. It is a show that has won nine Tony Awards (including Best Musical in 1962) and a slew of other awards in various categories. This is classic comedy theater at its best, and a musical to boot. But like a lot of people, I just didn’t think it was for me.Īfter all - to the ill-informed - it’s a show about ancient Rome and, ah, what else? A forum? A bunch of old guys wrapped in togas debating philosophy? It seems that every theater company in the nation at some time produces this show. Like a lot of people, I’ve heard the name of this show many times. A funny thing happened to me as I watched “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at Hendersonville Community Theatre this past weekend. ![]()
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