Stamford residents William Squier (left of center) and Michael Pelazza (right of center) confer on the possible sale of courtesans in Curtain Call's production of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM playing in The Kweskin Theatre now through March 2.
In a perfect example of taking the good with the bad, Curtain Call is happy to announce the addition of two performances of their hit musical, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, to make up for performances canceled by storm Nemo. New shows will be Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2 at 8:00pm in The Kweskin Theatre.
From the very first moments of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum it is very clear that with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, you really are in for a comedy. In fact, it’s perhaps Broadway’s greatest farce. And area residents will be able to laugh along when Curtain Call’s production playing now in The Kweskin Theatre, Stamford.
The show is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written…a perfect mid-winter escape.A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a non-stop laugh-fest in which a crafty slave tries to gain his freedom as a reward for his struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan for his young master.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The plot twists and turns with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors, and a showgirl or two, and of course, Stephen Sondheim’s score.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum first opened on Broadway in 1962 and has enjoyed many incarnations, including two revivals on Broadway (one in the ’70s and one in the ’90s), over the last half-century. It even played in The Kweskin back in early 2000.
“From the time I first saw the film version, I have loved this material,” said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call executive director and producer for this show. “I was with my dad, brothers, and a group of uncles and cousins at the time, so the bawdy humor really landed with us,” Ursone added. Ursone noted that this is the first time he has ever been involved with a production of this award-winning musical – a show that has long been on his “bucket list.”
Under the direction of RIDGEFIELD resident Gordon Casagrande, the cast is led by STAMFORD resident Michael “Motts” Pelazza who again is playing the role of Pseudolus…the conniving slave at the center of the plot. Other STAMFORD residents include: Bruce Crilly, Tommy DeSalvo, Jaclyn DiDonato, Ryan Hendrickson, Bennett Leeds, Rich Levitt, Siobhan O’Sullivan, William Squier, Heli Vaher and Miiko Valkonen; from GREENWICH: Brian Borowka and Steven Kelly; from STRATFORD: Faith Fernandes, Aubrey Kyburz and Dan Travers; from NORWALK: Sandra Ross; from WESTPORT: Meaghan Elliot; from TRUMBULL: Holly Griffin; from RYE, NY: Bob Praid; and from THORNWOOD, NY: Chris Jamison.
Choreography is by Karen Casagrande (RIDGEFIELD), music direction by Peter Randazzo (TRUMBULL), set design by Peter Barbieri, Jr. (NORWALK), lighting design by Scott Borowka (ASTORIA, NY), costume design by Megan Latte Ormond, with stage management by Jan Ursone (STAMFORD) assisted by Jeff Bianco and Jordon Hensley (both of NORWALK) and John Zimmerman (STAMFORD).
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will play in The Kweskin Theatre February 1 through 23, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm. Tickets are $29 for adults, $22 for senior citizens and $14.50 for students and children. Thrifty Thursday pricing: All seats $20 on February 14 and 21. Five, seven and ten-ticket FLEX PASSES are also available which offer up to 25% off the aforementioned prices. Tickets are available online at www.curtaincallinc.comor by calling 203-461-6358.
February also features Mississippi Rendezvous - an interactive murder mystery, and a Musical Monday concert reading of this year’s American Harmony Prize-winning musical, The Kid Who Would Be Pope. The remainder of the season includes the following full-scale productions:, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Oklahoma, The Dixie Swim Club and Legally Blonde as well as a newly added performance of Frank Mastrone on Saturday, March 9 and a cabaret performance by Michael Jovovich and Friends, tentatively scheduled for April 6.
Curtain Call is the nonprofit, professionally-run, community-based theatre company in residence at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue in Stamford. Year-round productions and educational workshops are presented by and for area residents in The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre. Curtain Call was voted Fairfield County’s BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP 2005 through 2012 in the Annual Readers’ Poll of The Fairfield County Weekly as well as BEST LOCAL THEATRE by StamfordPlus magazine for the past five years and as BEST VENUE by Stamford Magazine readers.. Curtain Call also received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Culture and Tourism for 2011 and in a recent Facebook poll, was noted as the most popular theatre in Connecticut and second most favorite attraction in the state.
