Geoffrey Rush is the highlight of this musical.
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Geoffrey Rush is the big drawcard in Stephen Sondheim's bawdy musical farce A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum set in ancient Rome - and he doesn't disappoint.
Rush gives a glorious comic performance as the cunning slave Pseudolus, out to buy his freedom by winning the hand of the virginal courtesan Philia (already sold to a military captain) for his love-struck master Hero.
He isn't really a singer but it doesn't matter.
However, by surrounding him with performers not known for their vocal prowess, the production suffers at times musically.
Aside from the songs Comedy Tonight, Everybody Ought To Have A Maid and Lovely, it's not the most memorable score anyway.
Some of the best singing comes from Adam Murphy as the all-conquering Miles Gloriosus. As the young lovers, Hugh Sheridan sings well but could invest Hero with a little more charisma, while Christie Whelan Browne is suitably lovely as Philia, playing the ditzy blonde to perfection.Mitchell Butel is hilarious as the hysterical servant Hysterium bringing just the right energy, comic timing and level of camp.
Director Simon Phillips orchestrates the mayhem with a sure touch, eliciting lots of laughs, while Gabriela Tylesova's cartoon-like design is inspired.
But it's Rush's performance above all else that makes the production worth a trip south.
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