A2CT Farce Truly Is 'Funny'
A2CT farce truly is 'Funny'
Cast has a great time with Sondheim's musical
REVIEW
BY ROGER LELIEVRE
The Ann Arbor News
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” lives up to its title. Despite a few opening-night issues Thursday, the group’s staging of Stephen Sondheim’s slapstick musical set in ancient Rome zips right along, following the exploits of a slave named Pseudolus (Sam Pazicni) and his scheme to win his freedom by helping his young master Hero (Joel Nofziger) woo the girl next door (Rachel Nofziger).
Pazicni seems born to play musical comedy, and he looks like he’s having a ball. His facial expressions are priceless, and he’s great at the physicality and timing this show requires.
The two Nofzigers are perfectly cast, and no wonder they look so good together, since they are husband and wife in real life. Both sing beautifully although Joel Nofziger’s performance was marred by microphone problems that eventually plagued everyone. Fortunately the cast, directed by Rosemary Gass, rose above the sound issues.
Jimmy Dee Arnold as the slave Hysterium is, well, hysterical, especially when he has to don a dress and play dead. Hank Naasko is a delight as the henpecked Senex
and Edmond Reynolds is a hoot chewing up the scenery as pompous military man Capt. Miles Gloriosus.
The Proteans, a trio of good-natured goofs playing a variety of roles, cheerfully went about their duties, as did the variety of courtesans owned by Marcus Lycus (Erik Wright-Olsen). The small part of Erroneus, played by Joe York, featured a recurring bit that threatened to bring the,house down every time it came around.
The orchestra, with Tyler Driskill directing, got off to a shaky start with the overture, but quickly got it together. The harp is a nice touch. And while on the subject of the overture, a note to the audience: The overture is part of the show, so stop talking, please. Musicians deserve as much respect as the actors.
Finally, the test of any musical, especially farce, is whether or not it can lighten the mood of the audience, these days weary of gas prices, elections and the day’s heat and humidity. In my case, it worked.
May it do the same for you.
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"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" continues at 8 tonight and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave. Details: 734-971-A2CT or www. a2ct.org.