REVIEW: A VERY Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum!

Classic comedy farce A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opens tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Lion Theatre and it’s so genuinely funny, even those who aren’t a fan of musical theatre will love this.

The show is set in Rome in around 200BC where we are greeted by Pseudolus (the multi-talented Jon Cooke) who also serves as the play’s narrator, and the show’s opening number ‘Comedy Tonight’ I guarantee will be stuck in your head for days afterwards.

We find that Hero (the always excellent Russel Alder), the son of wealthy Roman gentleman Senex (the brilliantly blustering Jerry Smith) and his overbearing wife, Domina (Natasha Lowes, whose withering glare will have the audience cowering behind their ice creams), has fallen in love with Philia (the talented Christina Holmes) who works as a courtesan in the ‘establishment’ next door, run by Marcus Lycus (Alan Paine, who is clearly very much enjoying himself).

But it turns out Philia isn’t actually a courtesan at all, and she is pledged in marriage to conquering Roman captain Miles Gloriosus (Thomas Peckham on fine brash form), a big and bombastic soldier, who is on his way back from battle to claim her.

Pseudolus makes a deal with Hero that he will rescue Philia so they can run away together in return for his freedom – but of course, the path does not run smoothly.

Then we’ve got Erronius (touchingly played by Gwyn Williams) who is searching for his long-lost children who were stolen by pirates, and Hysterium (David Allerton, who does a great job in only his second performance) the chief slave who is tasked with keeping Pseudolous in line.

An equally great job is done by the Proteans (Adele Simpson, Alice Rowlatt, Chris Rozier, and Ray Hancock) who serve as the ensemble cast, effortlessly switching between roles including Roman soldiers, courtesans (Chris looks especially fetching in a flowing blonde wig!), and eunuchs.

What follows is scene after scene of hilarity, with the cast nailing each musical and dance number – musical director Chris Hinkins deserves a pat on the back for his expertise – and there is a huge variety of comedy to suit all tastes, with some cheeky double entendres that will go over children’s heads, chase scenes a la Benny Hill, and mistaken identities with hilarious results.

Director Dominic Hinkins has done a great job at the healm, and special shout-out to the design team, who have done a wonderful job creating the set which looks incredibly professional and the attention to detail is incredible – and regular audience members may spot the cameo from a feathered character from an earlier production in the rafters…

If you fancy a bit of silliness without paying West End prices, then please go and see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – you won’t regret it!

The show opens tonight and runs until Saturday (July 15) and then again on Wednesday until Saturday July 22.

Tickets are £8, or £7 for concessions, and are available at https://horncastletheatre.co.uk/book-tickets/ or the box office at Rose & B.