Comedy Tonight In Wilton Manors, But Bring A Blanket

Evening rehearsal in Mickel Park of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum from Plays of Wilton

By Aaron Krause

For years, Plays of Wilton (POW) has wanted to produce free outdoor theater for South Florida residents and visitors. That dream by the Wilton Manors-based nonprofit organization, has become a reality thanks to funding from the Warten Foundation and support from the City of Wilton Manors.

POW! in the Park’s inaugural production is in rehearsal of the Stephen Sondheim/Burt Shevelove/Larry Gelbart musical classic, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

The raucous comedy will play at 7 p.m. March 7-16 at Mickel Park, 2675 N.W. 7th Ave. in Wilton Manors.

While admission is free, POW will welcome donations. In addition, people who wish to attend must register on Pow! In the Park’s website at www.powinthepark.com. As of late late week, patrons have reserved a little more than 800 tickets.

The show’s musical numbers include the rousing opening song, “Comedy Tonight.” Well-known stars such as Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers and Nathan Lane have played the central part of the slave Pseudolus in past Broadway productions.

POW’s cast stars four-time Carbonell Award-winning South Florida performer Lourelene Snedeker as Pseudolus. While the part is normally played by a man, Whoopi Goldberg replaced Nathan Lane in 1996. Several other parts traditionally cast with men are being performed by women here.

“We have literally been working on this for years. We’re so excited,” said Chris Caputo, Wilton Manors’ vice mayor and a POW board member. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of The Warten Foundation and a strong partnership between the City of Wilton Manors and POW, this long-held dream of bringing free, outdoor theater to our community is finally happening.”

“I am proud to support live theater in our beautiful park,” said Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton. “The arts are a vital part of our community, bringing people together, enriching our culture, and providing a space for creativity to thrive.”

POW’s artistic director, Ronnie Larsen, who is directing the production, said, “Wilton Manors is like no other city on Earth, with amazing public parks and venues just waiting for live theatrical productions.” said Larsen,

The Wilton Manors-based producer, director, actor, and playwright added, “This partnership with the City of Wilton Manors and The Warten Foundation is a dream team and we can’t wait to get started.”

Many theater lovers have said Forum is among the funniest musical comedies ever written.

“Sondheim’s joyous, musical romp through Rome has desperate lovers, scheming neighbors, and secrets behind every toga,” reads information on the show licensor’s website, https://www.mtishows.com. The musical “takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2,000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright, Plautus, with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville.”

In it, Pseudolus, a crafty slave, struggles to win the hand of a beautiful, but slow-witted courtesan named Philia for his young master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. Expect plot twists and turns, mistaken identity, slamming doors and a showgirl or two.

The cast includes Ana Marie Calise as Marcus Lycus, Mark Erson as Erroneous, Michael Gillespie as Philia, Irma Gloria as Miles Gloriosus, Brian Piedra as Hero, Sharyn Peoples as Domina, Rick Prada as Senex, and Michael H. Small as Hysterium. Ensemble members include Krystal Bly, Gianni Palermo, Nicole Hulett, Scott Jordan, Lisa Lowe, and Lin Joy Luber.

POW! In the Park’s inspiration is theater icon Joe Papp’s Public Theater in New York City. For more than 60 years, it has operated on the principles that live theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone.

Papp (1921-1991), founded the New York Shakespeare Festival (now called Shakespeare in the Park) in 1954 with the aim of making Shakespeare‘s works accessible to the public for free. In 1957 he was granted the use of Central Park for free productions of Shakespeare’s plays. These Shakespeare in the Park productions continue after his death at the open-air Delacorte Theatre every summer in Central Park.

Joseph M. Guidetti, associate producer of POW and POW! In the Park, said POW will not have to spend any of its own money to mount A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The $100,000 from the Warten Foundation will cover actors’ salary, sets, props, sound, lighting, and marketing. The Foundation is a private organization in Boca Raton that primarily funds unrestricted performing arts and religious related donations and operating grants.

While the production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum marks the beginning of POW! In the Park, the project will not end there. POW is planning to mount three free outdoor productions a year in Wilton Manors, for instance, The Sound of Music.

To that end, POW is soliciting financial support for the project. Interest donors should email RonnieLarsenPresents@gmail.com.

Since POW’s founding in 2020, the nonprofit organization (www.playsofwilton.com) has produced 13 world premiere productions. POW’s primary home is the Foundry, an intimate black box theater space on North Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. The Foundry is adjacent to Island City Stage (https://www.islandcitystage.org.) It is committed to sharing stories of universal interest engaging diverse audiences with entertaining, challenging, and inspiring productions and programs, often exploring the LGBTQ+ culture.

Concessions will be available and people are welcome to bring food. POW has 100 chairs available on a first come/first serve basis, but POW encourages patrons to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. While there is no limit to the number of tickets available for each performance, POW is hoping for 300 people per performance.

The musical runs about two hours including a 15-minute intermission.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum performed by POW in the Park will play at 7 p.m. on March 7, 8, 9, 14,15 and 16 in Mickel Park, 2675 N.W. 7th Ave. in Wilton Manors Admission is free, but you must register at www.powinthepark.com.

Everybody Ought to Have a Maid with Lourelene (center) as Pseudolus