The Tony Award-winning production A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, opening at Off The Wall Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 16, is a hilarious story of a crafty slave and his attempts to win the hand of a slow-witted but beautiful courtesan for his master in exchange for his freedom. Off The Wall Artistic Director Dale Gutzman describes the show as a “burlesque musical in the style of an old-time vaudeville show of a play taken from an old Roman comedy” that contains “extremely witty banter, broad slap-stick humor and a rich score by Stephen Sondheim.”
Gutzman, who has directed and/or acted in five previous productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, says he keeps coming back to the show because it’s “a really fun-filled, feel-good time in the theater,” adding, “I think it is the perfect show to show off quality talent and is a real crowd pleaser. There are two-person verbal exchanges very like those of Abbott and Costello. There is broad physical comedy of the ‘slip on the banana peel’ variety, disguises and chases in the vein of old silent films. There are romantic mix-ups and confusions in the manner of screwball comedy films. There are quick changes and pratfalls, and there are gorgeous girls in scanty costumes. Everything that makes life worth living.”
Off The Wall’s Technical Director David Roper has turned the tiny theater space into a street in Rome. “Everything from the set to costumes to use of the theater space contributes to the burlesque atmosphere,” says Gutzman. “‘Fun’ is the key word in everything about this piece.” Additionally, the cast features many new, talented young performers. “Zachery Dean, the star of our show, is a young force in local theater to be reckoned with,” Gutzman says.
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Helping make the show possible is Milwaukee dentist and patron of the arts, David Paris. Gutzman shares that Paris donates not only money, but support to several theater companies in town, explaining, “It is people like him that allow the tiny, ‘poor’ theaters in Milwaukee to stay open.”
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs Dec. 16-31 at Off The Wall Theatre, 127 E. Wells St. For more information and tickets, call 414-484-8874 or visit offthewalltheatre.com.
Theatre Happenings:
* Umbrella Group Theatre is currently running an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to produce the Milwaukee premiere of The View From Here Feb. 12-28, 2016 at Soulstice Theatre. This new musical will star Doug Clemons with direction by Kelly Doherty and music direction by Paula Foley Tillen. The fundraising campaign, from which Umbrella Group hopes to raise $2,000, runs through December. For more information or to help support this production, visit indiegogo.com or umbrellagroupmilwaukee.com.
* The World’s Stage Theatre Company, in collaboration with Pius XI Catholic High School, presents a compilation of eight lesser-known, rarely produced Samuel Beckett works in Going Dark: Short Plays of Samuel Beckett. Show runs Dec. 10-14 at Pius XI Catholic High School’s Black Box Theater, 135 N. 76th St. For more information, email twsmilwaukee@gmail.com or visit beckettmke.bpt.me.
* Cedarburg Cultural Center’s (W62 N546 Washington Ave., Cedarburg) resident comedy group, The Taters (McMann & Tate Productions), presents an adult holiday improvisation show Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. as part of its Center Stage series. For tickets, call 262-375-3676 or visit cedarburgculturalcenter.org.
* AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin presents its 20th annual Jolly Holly Folly at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. This food-tasting event at the Marcus Center (929 N. Water St.) features more than 20 Milwaukee-area restaurants and includes a private performance of The Second City’s Holidazed and Confused Revue production, a riotous send-up of traditional holiday fare that runs Dec. 16-20 in the newly renovated Vogel Hall. Tickets to Jolly Holly Folly can be purchased through the Marcus Center at marcuscenter.org or by calling Keri-Ayn Hough at 414-273-7121, ext. 213. For tickets to Holidazed and Confused Revue outside of this event, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
* MainStage Academy of Dance will stage its fifth annual The Nutcracker Ballet at the Oconomowoc Arts Center, Dec. 18-20. One dollar for every ticket sold will be split between Lake Country Free Clinic and Urgent Needs in Oconomowoc. Patrons are also encouraged to bring nonperishable food items. For tickets, call 262-560-3172 or visit wedancemainstage.com.
