…I almost got into like 6 car accidents and ended up at UBC because I missed a turn, but what else is new? Thank goodness I got there with half an hour to spare, although I spent that entire time up until the show started being overly excited about my amazing reserved seating with a sign that had my name on it. I’m kind of a big deal. Just kidding…but no really.

Anyway, back to the show!

Fighting Chance Productions (remember that amazing theatre company that brought you BARE: A Pop Opera this summer?) presented to a full and enthusiastic audience A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum: an over the top comedy where everything that could go wrong in a storyline does in a matter of seconds. The millions of different things happening onstage and the million misunderstandings between characters in the plotline made for a very audience-active show. While the plotline twists and bends into the most complicated scenarios that leave you thinking, “holy shit, the worst possible thing that could happen in this situation definitely just happened”, everything managed to make perfect sense through song, dance and humor.

I laugh a lot, believe me I do, but the amount of laughter which escaped from wherever it is that laughter escapes from in body was absolutely ridiculous. From the very moment when Pseudolus (played by Mr. Ryan Mooney) stepped on the stage, I knew that this character would have me in stitches the entire time. And he did! Then Hysterium (Michael Wild), Sennex (Peter Stainton), and every single other character in that amazing show came onstage and tears continued to stream down my adorable cheeks. I am a huge stickler about comedic timing, and that is one of the most important things I notice when I see a performance.

Mike Wild and Ryan Mooney

Good thing the comedic timing was spot on in Forum! Pseudolus for example: I honestly couldn’t even tell if what Ryan Mooney (who might I add, is the guy who directed BARE) was saying was scripted or not, THAT’s how clean and pristine his comedic chops were for this character. The great thing about this show is that nobody sucked, and even if they did (which I’m sure they didn’t), I was laughing so hard that I didn’t even notice.

Because Youth in 57 Minutes is dedicated to youth, I feel compelled to talk about Hero; a teenage boy lost in love with Philia (Elyse Maloway) played by Cameron Dunster, who was also in BARE…am I the only one who wasn’t in that show?! Anyhow, Hero exemplified and illustrated the perfect amount of teenage angst and internal desire in which we often face, and is a very adorable and relatable character in that sense. His comical songs sing about common adolescent issues, and his singing voice was wonderful. He also had great legs, and rocked the hell out of an itty-bitty toga better than anyone I know.

My favorite part of the entire show was the audience interaction involved that made the show complete. It was amazing how each character stayed committed while interacting with very different audience members each time, and how the audience members reacted…I’m not going to tell you what happens because it is best you see what I mean for yourself.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum is playing until the 22^nd of October, so if you haven’t seen it yet then please…GO! If it wasn’t worth seeing, I would not say this…actually I might of anyway, but that is NOT the case here. I may even bring my mom to see it (cue the “AWWW!”). A huge thank you again to Fighting Chance Productions for exceeding our expectations and accommodating Youth in 57 Minutes. We love you. Sounds tacky, but we do. Until next time!