Comedy tonight (and all weekend) at Housatonic

FALLS VILLAGE — There will be comedy tonight (and for the next two nights as well) when students in the Housatonic Musical Theatre Society present “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,� a farce wrapped up in a musical wrapped up in a hilarious sendup of ancient Rome.

The broad outline of the plot: A slave named Pseudolus tries to win his freedom by facilitating a romance between his master’s son and a young courtesan. But the story is beside the point. “A Funny Thing� is about action, jokes, silly songs and, as its most famous song suggests, “comedy, comedy, comedy!�

As the student actors rehearsed last weekend, it became clear that they’re not worried about opening-night jitters. They’re having too much fun, with a play that can only be described as outrageous and over-the-top. Which is not to imply that this
production is sloppy. Most of the cast members in this ensemble have performed many times over the years in school productions and at TriArts in Sharon. The show’s director is TriArts’ Artistic Director Michael Berkely; the production manager for the show is actress-singer-dancer Lori Belter of Salisbury. The duo has directed several shows together at the high school. The students, at ease with their stage directions during the rehearsals, were happily concentrating on having the maximum amount of fun with their lines and songs.

  This is an ensemble production, and it showcases the talents of teens from all the Region One towns. From Salisbury, Nick Sosin is the sneaky slave Pseudolus; from Sharon, Lauren Beatty plays the dominating wife, appropriately named Domina, and Kevin Whalen is the warrior Miles Gloriosus; from Kent, Tiernan O’Rourke plays Domina’s husband, Senex, and Devin Hanley is Hysterium, fervent leader of the slaves; from Falls Village, Will Hart is Hero, the young master in love with Philia, the air-head courtesan who is played by Cornwall resident Emily Thayler. Many other young actors from the area round out the cast and ensemble. The songs will be accompanied and enriched by a full orchestra.

The performances are on March 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.Tickets cost $10 for seniors/students and $15 for adults, and are available for purchase at the North Canaan, Salisbury, 1Sharon and Kent pharmacies and the Wandering Moose in West Cornwall.

— Cynthia Hochswender


Students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School rehearsed the musical farce “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forumâ€� over the weekend. The show will be performed at on March 22, 23 and 24 at the high school in Falls Village. Tickets are $10 for students and seniors, $15 for adults. Nick Sosin took center stage as the wisecracking Roman slave Pseudolus  in one of the most famous numbers from the show, “Comedy Tonight.â€�

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