A Funny Thing happened on the way to the Forum

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was a brave but good choice for LPOS  who, until recently were inclined to stick to slightly more operatic choices for their repertoire.  The entire cast brought energy and enthusiasm to this cleverly constructed musical comedy performed on a small stage but with a wonderful set very neatly depicting three houses. The musical numbers, so wonderfully written by Sondheim, provided a pleasing variation of charming ballads and comic songs. The most well-known one, “Comedy Tonight”, was the opening number, superbly introduced and included the whole cast. The plot revolves around the desire of Pseudolus, (Tim Kimber) a slave, to buy his freedom from his owner Senex.  Hero, (Luke Martin) the son of hen-pecked Senex (Simon Smith) and overbearing Domina (Sue Knight) has fallen in love with Philia (Katie-Emma Silverson), a virgin courtesan who resides at the house of Marcus Lycus (Jimmy Lynch). Having been sold by Marcus Lycus, Philia is waiting to be claimed by the Roman Captain, Miles Gloriosus (Harry Rippon). The farce unravels as Pseudolus tries his best to arrange for the young lovers to be together forever. With the added complications of the hysterical slave-in-chief, Hysterium (David Martin), the old man Erronius (Richard Howell), searching for his children, stolen in infancy by pirates and a wealth of other Roman stereotypes, including courtesans, soldiers and eunuchs, Pseudolus’ pursuits are very nearly thwarted. All the principals performed well in their very different roles, especially Tim Kimber, Simon Smith and David Martin, yet the farcical elements were never detracting.  The orchestra provided exactly the right level of backing for the songs which were very well sung by all and the pace was well maintained throughout. Strong support came from the “Proteans” who added a certain charm to the production. The whole Company clearly enjoyed taking part in this demanding show and worked well as a team throughout. 

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