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Earlier this week, Phillyist saw (and loved!) the Arden Theatre Company's production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Recently, we've been lucky to chat with director Terrence J. Nolen via e-mail. Mr. Nolen is not only the show's director but also one of the Arden's founders and its producing artistic director, and he seems to have a thing for Sondheim: he's directed eight of the famous composer's shows at the Arden!
Just to get things started, could you talk about your relationship to Philadelphia as a theatre town? Where do you think theatre in Philadelphia is going? Why do you work here?
I love Philadelphia. I love Philadelphia artists and Philadelphia audiences. We have an incredibly vital theatre community and, compared with many across the country, a healthy one. We also have an extraordinary community of artists who make their home here. And these artists are supportive of one another, which is absolutely remarkable. I think that collaborative spirit has become the hallmark of this community and the great strength of the Philadelphia artist. Our production of Forum celebrates this Philadelphia community. I wanted to do a show that brought together some of Philly's finest actors.
You're directing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which is probably one of Sondheim's more accessible pieces, and certainly one of his most performed. With all the preconceived ideas the piece brings with it, what was your approach? Did you ever find yourself trying to direct your performers to be more like Zero Mostel/Nathan Lane/Whoopi Goldberg?
I never saw any of those productions so I wasn't influenced by them. I have no interest in recreating other productions. My goal is to bring together a talented group of artists and to create our own production--here and now, for our audiences, in our theatre space. Because musicals are recorded, it's easy to think that there is a "right" way to do things, but I find that this leads to productions that are deadly. Musicals are like Shakespeare, they must be created anew if they are to have life. I wanted to do Forum in part because I wanted to see Tony Braithwaite's Pseudolus.
Sondheim's music is notoriously difficult for performers. Did your actors have any trouble learning it? Did you have any problems directing the actors while they tripped over Sondheim's lyrics or notes?
The score for Forum is not as demanding as many other Sondheim scores. The lyrics are tricky at times but Sondheim writes with such logic and clarity, it's easy to memorize (easy for me to say). Though there was one song that the singer had a hard time finding the first note.
"Pretty Little Picture" is often omitted from productions of Forum: is it in or out in the Arden's production? Whatever you decided, what was your reason?
We include "Pretty Little Picture." I think the song gives Pseudolus a great chance to connect with the audience. Before rehearsals, Tony wanted to cut it. I wanted to give it a try. After working on it, we both decided it was worth keeping.
Did you have any problems staging "Comedy Tonight," the opening number? The original (Jerry Robbins) choreography is usually considered lost, and so much happens in that scene that things can get bogged down. How did you handle it?
"Comedy Tonight" is a perfect opening number. Probably the only other number that accomplishes so much to successfully launch a musical is "Tradition" in FIDDLER. "Comedy Tonight" is beautifully structured, incredibly efficient in introducing the audience to the world of the play and sets the perfect tone for the story that follows. It's also remarkable because it builds to such an exciting climax -- the song ends with the kind of big finish most musicals save for the end of the show. We tried lots of different things staging "Comedy Tonight" and finally went with the things that worked best. I love at the end of the song when Pseudolus announces, "And now the entire company" and the cast enters and makes one great line and begins to sing. It's so corny but I find it thrilling. Plus Richard St. Clair, our Costume Designer, is a genius. This moment gives you a chance to be swept up in his creation.
Do you have a favorite moment in the show?
It changes every night. There are times -- often different times each performance -- when an actor absolutely connects with a moment in the show and the audience in a way that rocks the theatre. Forum is a comedy, and when the house is rolling with laughter, there's nothing like it.
Have you seen the movie? What do you think of it, especially as compared to the play?
I saw the beginning of the movie years ago and hated it. I tried to watch it again recently but couldn't stay with it. From what I saw, it's neither a good movie nor a good rendition of this musical. I also think the success of Forum lies in the connection between the performer and the audience. Forum has its roots in vaudeville, and vaudeville belongs on the stage.
Imagine for a minute that this was a new show and you were collaborating with Mr. Sondheim on its development: is there anything that you'd change?
Forum is very much a piece of its time. It's clearly not a new piece. Part of its charm is that it is an old fashioned musical, and I mean that in the best sense of that phrase. It certainly does not explore the ambiguities and contradictions that mark Sondheim's later works. Hopefully it still feels alive and fun and funny, but it is of another time. Now, if Mr. Sondheim wants to work on a new musical, the Arden's doors are always open.
Do you have any closing thoughts for our readers?
In directing Forum, I was hoping that audiences would be eager to come together to sit in the dark and laugh. The power of a group of people laughing together is so powerful, so rejuvenating. It's been thrilling that this great old musical comedy still has the power to so engage and delight.
Photo courtesy the Arden Theatre Company
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