A Classic ‘Forum’ for Life’s Pratfalls

Inspired by the plays of Plautus, the comic archetypes in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, have been around for more than 2,000 years and counting. There’s the tricky slave, the philandering lecher, the virago wife, the vainglorious hero, and of course, the starry-eyed young lovers separated by circumstance who must be reunited by means fair, foul and hilarious.

The show was first produced on Broadway in 1962 and filmed in 1966. Both versions starred the indelible Zero Mostel as Pseudolus, the conniving slave whose contrivances fuel the pratfalling plot. A Broadway revival in 1996, starring Nathan Lane and later Whoopi Goldberg, established the sheer durability of this classically inspired burlesque.

Any production of “Forum” rises or falls with the actor who plays Pseudolus. The play’s current production, presented by the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, fortunately features Bob Amaral in this central, crucial role.

A Broadway vet, Amaral understudied Lane and Goldberg in the Broadway revival before taking over the role late in the run. The wily Amaral knows better than to emulate Mostel’s mugging or Lane’s archness. Surprisingly subdued in his opening monologue, he prefers to sneak up behind you, metaphorically speaking, before walloping you in the back of the head with his strong voice and solid comic timing. A laid-back Pseudolus, Amaral takes his time, but he gets the job done, and he has a whale of a time doing it.

Veteran stage and television director Will Mackenzie directs with a fine ear and a firm hand, ably abetted by musical director Steven Smith, who also conducts the full-sounding CLO orchestra. Choreographer Sha Newman, a South Bay stalwart, does a particularly noteworthy job with the bumping, grinding courtesans who are the show’s requisite eye candy.

For all its broadness, “Forum” requires formidable finesse. If the actors oversell the humor, their goose--or, in this case, rubber chicken--is cooked. Fortunately, this talented assemblage of Broadway and regional theater veterans keeps the action refreshingly silly, never strident or overplayed.

Indeed, if there is a problem with this particular production, it’s that the performances are so crisp, clean and well-timed, they sometimes border on the lifeless. That’s not to say that this isn’t an excellent cast, but a shade more throwaway goofiness is in order.

As Senex, the drooling libertine of the piece, Kevin Cooney delivers an exacting yet deceptively offhanded performance in just the right tone. Like Amaral, he’s having fun with his role--and his delight is infectious.

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“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 p.m. Saturday matinees Saturday and Oct. 5 only, 2 p.m. Sunday evenings, Sunday and Oct. 6 only, 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 6. $35-$50. (310) 372-4477. Run time: 2:30.