A funny thing happened on the way to the “Forum.” OK, more than one thing. But not nearly as many as you’d hope.
The Denver Center Theatre Company’s new staging is its first attempt at a Broadway musical in 18 years. And both the company and the 45-year-old show they bring back to life show signs of rust.
Bruce K. Sevy’s new “Forum” looks extraordinary, from its colorful set (by Vicki Smith) and outrageous costumes (by Kevin Copenhaver), to its gaggle of gorgeous courtesans, to its bountiful sight gags, to Mike Hartman’s legs (and no, that’s not one of the sight gags).
But with the exception of the impish old Hartman having the time of his life playing the amorous, aging slave owner Senex, this is a staging that goes rather ordinarily along.
While it’s heart-racing to hear a nine-piece orchestra again in the Stage Theatre pit, the singing voices are surprisingly ordinary, the choreography disappointingly ordinary and, of all things, the comedy (tonight) just … ordinary. It’s pleasant and often very funny, but it never achieves sustained comic momentum.
“Forum” is Burt Shevelove’s and Larry Gelbart’s farcical masterpiece about the aging slave Pseudolus (Broadway veteran Ron Orbach), who works himself into a sweat trying to match two young lovers and thus win his own freedom. Problem is, the boy is his master’s virginal son; she’s a courtesan who’s been bought by military warrior Miles Gloriosus. A fluffy fun romp about mistaken identities – and mistaken addresses – ensues.
This is a piece that asks you not to think too hard – but this staging really depends on it. Because the more you think about it, the more questions you’ll have.
Like why is Sevy’s quartet of soldierly Proteans not just flamboyantly gay, but “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” gay? In a base, 1960s time-capsule comedy whose many incorrect lapses include homophobia? It doesn’t appear to be intended juxtaposition, though, so this rainbow chorus is an incongruous distraction.
Sevy’s cast includes 13 DCTC newcomers (out of 18) – understandable given that what’s left of the core company isn’t known for this genre. But oddly, his imported ringers don’t particularly excel here in any of the musical theater’s disciplines. Believe me, Sevy’s six courtesans are delicious to look at, but Gina Cerimele-Mechley’s rudimentary choreography doesn’t challenge them at all. A recent “Forum” at the Country Dinner Playhouse displayed more choreographic complexity and comic spontaneity. (I still remember that rope!)
The joys of this production? Hartman as an expressive and boyish Senex, and Glenn Lawrence as the blissfully arrogant Gloriosus. In the small role of Domina, treasured company veteran Kathleen M. Brady delivers the most acerbic barbs, but, while outlandishly dressed, she seems to have been restrained from going all-out.
Of the newcomers, Orbach works very hard to entertain us, but he grows more tired than mischievous. And as the virgin lover Hero meant to make us swoon as he sings “Love I Hear,” the not-all-that-boyish Anderson Davis was either stuffed-up on opening weekend or badly miked.
“Forum” is included on both the Denver Center’s local theater and Broadway touring subscriptions, so this will be an intimate treat for those more accustomed to seeing their musicals from the balcony of the Buell Theatre. And “Forum” is just what DCTC customers needed after a series of five consecutive intense offerings.
“At least there were no child murderers in it,” a woman said on exiting. “It was fun.”
And it was. But now, how about a little less-creaky fun?
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”
MUSICAL COMEDY | Denver Center Theatre Company | Directed by Bruce K. Sevy | At the Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex | THROUGH JULY 8 | 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 1:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. the final three Sundays | 2 hours, 20 minutes | $36-$46 | 303-893-4100, 866-464-2626 (800-641-1222 outside Denver), all King Soopers or denvercenter.org.
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
