A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Youth productions can be jarring. Either cast members have a distractingly stage-child-ish presence, or the whole ensemble fails to lift off beyond gangly amateurishness. And while the cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum doesn't shy away from their own adolescence, they wholly commit to the risqué nature of this rather silly show: a 60s musical Brit sex-farce that just so happens to be set in ancient Rome. Virgins are sold to seafarers, clever slaves matchmake harem girls, and love potions get mixed up with—you guessed it—hilarious results.

The whole thing is Dean Yeagle and Benny Hill and the startlingly young cast—made up of 16-20-year-old senior students from Charlbury's SHED Theatre—pulls it off impressively, with a maturity that is rare amongst the Fringe's many sixth form and American high school productions. This is a goofy show put on by teenagers, but it's likely to be the best goofy show put on by teenagers you'll see all month.

That some members of the ensemble lack the kind of lustre that comes from experience, or one mostly non-speaking character looks so much like Ezra Miller as to cause genuine distraction (and frantic googling outside the venue), shouldn't be a deal-breaker. A Funny Thing Happened... might just be the perfect refresher after some heavier Fringe material, a show to drag your moody pre-teen cousin to, or a lighthearted brunch-time treat.