The farcical nature of this comedy is evident early, from the characters named Hysterium and Erroneous, to the frequent exclamations by Hero:  "Oh, Philia!"-- a not very veiled reference to the Shakespearean character Ophelia in "Hamlet." Hysterium, played by Cameron McFee, is the sidekick of Pseudolus, and yes, he is hysterical through much of the play. McFee has logged many years with ACT, although he is only in his 20s. He directed Albany High School's production of "The King and I" last spring. This is his first musical.

The production features a mix of veteran actors as well as newcomers. They even recruited belly dancer Melinda Valencia for one of the courtesan roles.  

"She is marvelous," Assistant Director Kay Roth said.

The musical is directed by Barbara Osterholm, whose first show with ACT was in 1974, which just happened to be "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum."

The role of Hero is played by Cameron Graham, and Philia is played by Alison Nordyke. Graham was the lead role for Albany High School's "The King and I."

"This is a great cast, and they've really worked hard.  We have four rehearsals before opening, but they are ready," Roth says.
Contact Albany Civic Theatre for show times and other information.