This musical shows its age. The songs are not the best Sondheim, with “Comedy Tonight” and “Lovely” standing out from the rest. The book is quite slow until the frenetic end where all the plotlines are tied up in true comedy style.
The production succeeds by making us forget any weaknesses through highly paced performances which challenge the audience not to have fun. Those performances are all strong. Desmond Barrit controls the evening with a droll, world weary Pseudolus. Sam Kelly shines as Senex. Philip Quast dominates the stage as Miles Gloriosus – the quality of his singing puts the rest of the cast in the shade. The Proteans are remarkably gymnastic and obviously enjoy going just a little over the top. The Courtesans have little to do but provide glamour – which they do in abundance.
The cardboard cut-out set reinforces the panto theme, as do the standard Roman costumes. The revolving doors allow great fun in the confusion of characters just avoiding being caught in the wrong place by the wrong person.
By adding fun details and rehearsed asides, the actors lift the show to make it good entertainment without great substance. But then, when did pantomime ever need substance?
Derek Benfield
