RECOMMENDED
Just like those famous lines proclaim in its brilliant opening number, there really is “something for everyone” in Marriot Theatre’s laugh-a-minute revival of “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, ” Broadway’s 1962 musical-theatre valentine to vaudeville. Close to the show’s finale and by the time that three actors scurry about the stage dressed as the same golden-haired courtesan on the run from a handful of lustful Romans, the pre-coital comedy confusion that is “Forum” (courtesy of legendary funny men and book writers Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove) has just about skewered everything in its path: from vapid lovers to the geriatric; effeminate pimps to dumb blondes; eunuchs to erotic pottery. It’s sublime stuff for a musical that simply concerns itself with a wily Roman slave who will do anything (including getting his master laid) for his own freedom. The ambient challenges of theatre-in-the-round are in Marriott’s production a boon for a script whose laughs depend upon close-call run-ins and slapstick entrances and exits. As such, Dominic Missimi has directed the frenetic pace with the calm expertise of an air-traffic controller. A sweet and funny score by musical-theatre doyen Stephen Sondheim is the icing on an already very-rich cake. (Fabrizio O. Almeida)
Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, (847)634-0200. Wed 1pm & 8pm/Thu-Fri 8pm/Sat 5pm & 8:30pm/Sun 1pm & 5pm. Through Sep 11.
