A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State, May 29 (957-3322). Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission).
Maybe it was opening night jitters (although given the depth of experience in this show's cast, that would be a lame excuse), but on Friday night the comedy in this musical farce seemed more forced than downright hilarious.
Hopefully, with a couple of additional performances under their belts, the ensemble will pick up the pace and turn "Forum" into the frenetic, madcap romp it should be.
First-time director Anne Stewart Mark has a cast that features several seasoned performers.
Gene Pack is marvelous as the henpecked Senex, who has the misfortune of being married to the aptly named Domina (Jan Smith Williams). As the show opens, they're off to see her ailing mother, leaving their impressionable young son Hero (Joshua Joel Black) at home with slaves Pseudolus (Richard E. Scott) and high-strung Hysterium (Dan Larrinaga).
"Never fall in love during a total eclipse," Senex sternly warns the audience.
The action quickly shifts into second, if not high gear.
Pseudolus will do anything to earn his freedom, and by the end of the play he's concocted one outlandish scheme after another.
Joshua Joel Black has the fresh-scrubbed look of innocence it takes to portray Hero, and Natalie Star Blackman plays Philia, the innocent Cretan virgin he's head-over-heels in love with — thwarted by the fact she's residing next door in Marcus Lycus' home for courtesans and that she's already been sold to a sea captain, scheduled to arrive shortly.
The best comedy (and some of the best musical numbers, as well) comes from the vaudevillian routines involving Pseudolus and Hysterium — especially "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" — when they're joined by Senex and Lycus.
Complemented by Mark Hofeling's cartoonlike setting and Thad Hansen's colorful costumes, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" should be much funnier, once the cast settles in and speeds things up a bit.
Sensitivity rating: Slightly bawdy humor but nothing patently offensive.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com