"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" - Gelbart, Shevelove and Sondheim - Square One Players (Shrewsbury, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: The COMPANY of the musical "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" presented by Square One Players in Shrewsbury, MA. through August 10, 2025. Photo Courtesy of Joanne Smith)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“When I'm free to be whatever I want to be, think what wonders I'll accomplish then!
When the master that I serve is me and just me, can you see me being equal with my countrymen?”
- (“Pseudolus") / Gelbart, Shevelove and Sondheim
Square One Players
Presents the Iconic Musical
"A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM"
Book by Larry Gelbart, Burt Shevelove
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Jeremy Woloski
Music Director Kris Layton
Choreographer Kelley Manson
Cast: Kyle Collins as “Pseudolus,” Chuck Grigaitis as “Senex,” Marissa Podesta as “Domina,” Jose Hernandez as “Hero,” Armig Bardizbanian as “Philia,” Norman Dubois as “Hysterium,” Jim Catapano as “Erronius,” Robert Mattson as “Miles Gloriosus,” Elyssa Miller as “Lycus,” Brittany English as “Tintinabula,” Maegan Kelley as “Panacea,” Stephanie Sarkisian as “Vibrata,” Ella Woloski as “Gymnasia” Solveig Arora and Lilah Miller as “The Geminae,” Stephanie Nogueira, Collin Touchette, Mikey Dearn as “Proteans.”
Additional Creative Team:
Assistant Choreographer – Ella Woloski; Stage Manager – Marissa Hubbard; Production Manager – Joanne Smith; Assistant Production Manager – Tara Alano; Costumes – Angela Foley.
Performances:
August 2, 2025 through August 10, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Flanagan Theater, Southgate at Shrewsbury, 30 Julio Drive, Shrewsbury MA.
TICKETS:
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Square One Players in Shrewsbury, MA. brings the funny with their summertime musical treat of "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM."
The two-act show has been finely crafted under the skilled partnership of director Jeremy Woloski, choreographer Kelley Manson and music director Kris Layton paying faithful homage to the original 1962 musical.
The musical comes with a plethora of local talent and some wise decisions made by the Square One creative team, especially around the use of the Flanagan Theater stage space.
Everyone, including the audience, seems or feels as if they are “in on the joke” as the ridiculous plot unfolds.
The above is part of the enduring charm of "FORUM" and why it continues to be performed even as social and political temperaments have changed since its premiere six decades ago.
Yet, as the adage goes, “if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage” and this one show that definitely owes a lot to what is on the page.
The Square One musical romp, featuring a book by Burt Shevelove (“No, No, Nanette”) and Larry Gelbart (creator/producer of the television show “M*A*S*H*”), also contains the music and lyrics by legendary composer Stephen Sondheim.
One can truly observe in multiple songs the emergence of Sondheim as a future unstoppable creative force with which to be reckoned.
(Photo: Norman Dubois as “Hysterium,” Kyle Collins as “Pseudolus” and Chuck Grigaitis as “Senex” in a moment from the musical "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" presented by Square One Players in Shrewsbury, MA. through August 10, 2025. Photo Courtesy of Joanne Smith)
"A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM," which premiered on Broadway in 1962, would ultimately win six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Author (Musical).
"FORUM" also was later turned into an iconic film starring Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Phil Silvers, a very young Michael Crawford and would mark the final onscreen appearance of silent film legend Buster Keaton.
The musical farce tells the tale of three houses, one of which is the House of Marcus Lycus (Elyssa Miller), which is given a fancy description in the script for what is basically a brothel. The other two houses are family dwellings.
All three houses become the single location of focus in this wonderfully preposterous tale.
It is a bawdy story (with a veritable “Vaudevillian” or even “Burlesque” appeal) of a house slave named Pseudolus (Kyle Collins) who schemes to win his freedom by helping the son of his masters Senex (Chuck Grigaitis) and wife Domina (Marissa Podesto), win the virgin Philia (Armig Bardizbanian) currently residing at the House of Marcus Lycus.
Unfortunately, for Pseudolus and the young Hero (Jose Hernandez), the virginal Philia has been pledged by contract to warrior Miles Gloriosus (Robert Mattson) who is on his way to claim his bride from Lycus.
To aid Hero in his quest to rescue the fair Philia, Pseudolus seeks the help of Lycus, yet he knows all to well that looking for a virgin in the House of Marcus Lycus is akin to seeking out a needle in a haystack.
In “The House of Marcus Lycus,” a number that valiantly attempts to balance humor and dance, Pseudolous is introduced to Lycus’ stable of Courtesans who are played by:
Brittany English as “Tintinabula,” Maegan Kelley as “Panacea,” Stephanie Sarkisian as “Vibrata,” Ella Woloski as “Gymnasia,” with Solveig Arora and Lilah Miller performing together as “The Geminae.”
Costuming for the Square One Players' show is impressive, especially for the Courtesans.
The only costume that seems to come up short is Hero’s (and I don’t just mean his skirt).
Hero’s costume makes him appear as if he is some "ambiguous" superhero.
This in no way reduces the level of the young actor’s performance, just so long as Hero doesn’t play with his skirt.
(Photo: Kyle Collins as “Pseudolus" hovers over Armig Bardizbanian as “Philia” with Jose Hernandez as “Hero” in a moment from the musical "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" presented by Square One Players in Shrewsbury, MA. through August 10, 2025. Photo Courtesy of Joanne Smith)
In fact, there are multiple laudable performances, with Collins absolutely dominating with impeccable comedic timing as Pseudolus.
Collins holds our attention from beginning to end, and is a thoroughly amicable host, breaking the fourth wall while guiding us throughout the trifling tale (as does Grigaitis as Senex at the start of Act Two).
As the irascibly long-married Senex and Domina, Grigaitis and Podesto work well opposite one another and are each given their own respective moments to shine – Podesto with the Act Two number “That Dirty Old Man” and Grigaitis with the hilarious group number “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” and his duet with Hernandez “Impossible.”
Mattson is believably daunting as the arrogant Gloriosus, performing well the musical number “Bring Me My Bride” and adding much to the absurdly funny Act Two funeral sequence.
Norman Dubois, as head slave “Hysterium,” serves perfectly as a strong comedic foil for Pseudolus, whose antics here bring Hysterium to a near nervous breakdown as witnessed in the intentionally ironic number, “I’m Calm.”
One of the musical’s funniest moments comes in the aforementioned song, "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid," sung by Senex, Pseudolus, Hysterium and Lycus which is an example of some of the clever staging between director Woloski and choreographer Manson.
Among the many fine decisions made for this staging of "FORUM" is in how the “Proteans” (Stephanie Noguiera, Mikey Dearn and Collin Touchette) are used.
The trio acts as a Greek (okay “Roman”) Chorus becoming multiple characters throughout the story and occasionally having to switch at breakneck speed but never distracting and always bringing smiles to the audience with their wild antics.
(Photo: Kyle Collins as “Pseudolus” listens to Robert Mattson as “Miles Gloriosus” with Mikey Dearn, Stephanie Nogueira and Collin Touchette as stalwart “Proteans" in a scene from the musical "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" presented by Square One Players in Shrewsbury, MA. through August 10, 2025. Photo Courtesy of Joanne Smith)
The static set for the Square One show of the three main houses where all the action takes place is extremely well constructed for much of the antics occur, also allowing for a marvelous second act “Keystone Kops”-style romp (or, yes, a “Monkees”-style romp) during the show’s penultimate moment.
Hernandez and Bardizbanian have good chemistry in their scenes, yet one of the few complaints about the script is that it does not really allow their relationship to blossom.
That said, the performers do have a wonderful duet, “Lovely,” which later significantly factors into Act Two as one of the funniest reprises ever staged in a musical (trust me - you’ll have to see it to believe it).
Bardizbanian is a fine vocalist, with her Act Two song, “That’ll Show Him,” as is Hernandez with his Act One introduction singing “Love, I Hear.”
Without giving too much away, (and assuming most seeing the show or reading this review are already familiar with the material), there will be a couple of head tilting moments, especially when a big reveal by the show’s conclusion between Philia and Gloriosus occurs.
Do yourself a favor - just suspend disbelief and go with it.
Apparently, such disparities no longer matter these days (as this is not the first time I have witnessed this disparity), and it actually almost adds to the absurdist nature of the material.
(Photo: The COMPANY of the musical "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" presented by Square One Players in Shrewsbury, MA. through August 10, 2025. Photo Courtesy of Joanne Smith)
Looking at the musical comedy and how the careers of both Sondheim and Gelbart, especially, would flourish in their later years, one can clearly observe the approaches to comedy and music each man would take and what made both men geniuses at their respective crafts.
The Sondheim score is well performed by a fine group of musicians, led by music director Kris Layton on piano.
The Square One production of "FORUM" excels with the classic musical farce and is certainly preferable to the alternative - a “tragedy tonight.”
So, come along with Square One Players on their journey to the past as "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" continues in Shrewsbury until August 10th.
Approximately two hours, 15 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
"A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM" is a fast-paced farce that promises to have audiences rolling on the floor.
Taking straight from the roots of comedy, "FORUM" combines the ancient comedies of Plautus with a vaudevillian delivery.
Pseudolus schemes to win the heart of the beautiful virgin, Phelia, for his young master, Hero.
In exchange, Hero will grant Pseudolus his freedom once and for all.
However, things are never as easy as they seem.
Chaos ensues with hair-brained schemes, cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors and convoluted plot twists.
One of the funniest musicals ever written, "FORUM" promises “Something for everyone: a comedy tonight!”(STAGEAGENT)
ABOUT SQUARE ONE PLAYER
SSQUARE ONE PLAYERS mission is to provide a venue to promote and support the performing and cultural arts in Central Massachusetts. The goal of SQUARE ONE PLAYERS is to provide a quality and economical live theater program that is all inclusive and of course, have a little fun along the way. SQUARE ONE PLAYERS strives to open opportunities to anyone who wishes to participate in the art of theater. SQUARE ONE PLAYERS hopes that one and all will feel welcome to participate either by viewing or taking part in theater shows. Come join SQUARE ONE PLAYERS and be ready to be entertained!
