Last night we went to see the latest offering at the Marriott Lincolnshire’s musical theater season, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.” I’m really glad I didn’t read the rave reviews in the Chicago Tribune or at Chicago Critic before seeing the show, because then I would have known going in just how big a triumph Guy Adkins has in his portrayal of Pseudolus, the wily and wryly funny slave of ancient Rome.
I vaguely knew the story: it’s a pastiche of characters and situations lifted from classical Roman and Greek comedies, mostly from the works of Plautus, and it features the usual complications of long-lost children, mistaken identity, ludicrous situations, bawdy humor, and fast-moving farce. I also vaguely knew Zero Mostel was in the original Broadway cast. If I had known going in that Mostel had played Pseudolus, it might have affected my reaction to Guy Adkins’ performance. As it was, I’m damn glad I didn’t remember a damn about this damn funny Steven Sondheim musical.
Guy Adkins is the classic triple threat: he can sing, he can act, and oh, my GOD can he dance. His Pseudolus isn’t just a fast-talking con man trying to finagle his freedom by hooking his master’s son up with the courtesan next door; he’s beguiling as he mugs, clowns, and cavorts while making it all look sooo easy and natural and unrehearsed. The other actors are all great – it’s a typically strong ensemble – but Adkins is a standout. He’d appeared there a couple of years before my husband David and I started getting season tickets; he didn’t want to be typecast as “the musical comedy guy” and went on to other things for a while (a lot of Shakespeare, apparently). It’s a lucky break for the Marriott that he was available for this production; we were completely blown away, and the entire audience was prepared to eat out of his hand by the end of the opening number (the fabulous “Comedy Tonight!”).
Thank God for the director’s not casting to “type” in the role – Adkin’s Pseudolus is a charming, physical, sexy delight. If you can possibly see this show before it ends September 11, DON’T MISS IT!!! See it twice, in fact: you won’t pick up on all the stray bits of comic business the first time through. You will be exhausted, but happy. And if at all possible, sit in the front row (as Marriott’s theater is in the round, there are technically 4 front rows). There’s a fair amount of interaction between cast and audience, so be prepared to play along (and laugh, laugh, laugh until you cry).
