If you're a musical theater buff, you know that "Gray skies are gonna clear up/Put on a happy face" is a lyric from Bye Bye Birdie, which was the song in my head as I walked into the soggy parking lot after seeing TriArts's exhilarating production of Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (through July 4.) It's a perfect show for summer stock with one caveat: You need an exceptional comic actor to play Pseudolus, and, fortunately, TriArts found Omri Schein, who should be on any Broadway producer's short list of understudies for Nathan Lane. From the iconic opening number, "Comedy Tonight," until the finale, Schein's schtick never loses steam or appeal. Given that this is a 1962 show, it's not surprising that Schein seems to be channelling the Borscht Belt comedians (Phil Silvers, Milton Berle et al) who were a mainstay of television in the black-and-white era. Indeed, the entire musical feels like an old-fashioned variety show—an extended sketch from the folks who brought you Carol Burnett. (Of course, Forum was written by Burt Sheevelove and Larry Gelbart who cut their teeth writing for live TV in the 1950s). But what makes Forum timeless are Sondheim's songs with their witty lyrics and clever word plays. Many of these songs have become cabaret classics like "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid," and "I'm Calm" and they are sung with gusto by a cast that includes many good-looking students from NYU Steinhardt. They make the farcical situations work at every turn because they have been exactingly directed by John Simpkins, whose vision is underscored by Jennifer Werner's lickety-split choreography. With TriArts artistic director Michael Berkeley leading a seven-piece orchestra, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum has been given a production that's bright, cheery, and giddy. Even if it's raining outside, everything glows and glistens inside the Sharon Playhouse.
