More Than Zero

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is currently characterized by a historical first in musical theatre history: Whoopi Goldberg taking over the role of Pseudolus, traditionally played by a man. But that is not the only interesting aspect of Forum in its present and past incarnations.

Forum, like so many other Broadway musicals, is rich in history: musical theatre history played on stage, American history played behind the scenes, not to mention Roman history, constructed into a sublime musical farce by Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart, and Stephen Sondheim. Tidbits of musical theatre history are always interesting and can add another dimension to an audience member's theatre experience.

Zero Mostel adlibbed in Forum. Nathan Lane adlibbed in Forum. And occasionally critics complain that Whoopi Goldberg doesn't adlib enough. How does adlibbing fit into the scheme of Forum?

According to Zero Mostel: A Biography, an excellent book by Jared Brown (about which Larry Gelbart himself said "First rate. It's Z to a T."), Gelbart found Mostel's adlibs to be "maddening". It is well known that he and Shevelove worked hard to build an airtight book with composer/lyricist Sondheim, specifically attempting to produce a work about ancient Rome that was completely without anachronisms. They were understandably upset, as authors are wont to be, when their actors strayed from their words. In fact, it is amazing to read the actual script and discover how many lines that seem to be adlibs, are in fact the wonderful words of Shevelove and Gelbart. Given the vaudevillian character of the piece, an audience member might find it difficult not to expect adlibs. And what of the actors?

Zero Mostel, having been attacked by some for his extensive adlibbing, responded:

"There's a kind of silliness in the theatre about what one contributes to a show. The producer obviously contributes the money; the bookwriter, the book; the composer, the music; the lyricist, the lyrics; but the actor contributes nothing at all?...they always manage to hang you for having an interpretation...Isn't [theatre] where your imagination should flower?...But the producer, the director, the authors, all go on their vacations and they come back well tanned and I'm pale from playing the show and they say 'It's altered a great deal since opening night.' Suppose you have a bellyache, can't you use it when you're on the stage?...If you have the premise that a guy wants to be free, no matter what crazy things you do on stage, as long as you feel that it's keeping with that premise, it should be accepted by the audience."

And it was. Mostel's audiences loved his adlibs, such as announcing the boxing match results, wishing the audience a Happy Halloween, and telling a joke about the White House when Jacqueline Kennedy was in the audience. Some members of the production did not appreciate Mostel's antics as much as the audience, however. Ruth Kobart, who played Domina, got so fed up with Mostel's script additions that she protested one night by refusing to take a curtain call. She said she "felt it was morally wrong for [Mostel] to treat his talent that way. He would break other actors' concentration,...destroy the intent of the scene."

Unfortunately, Mostel's friendship with Jack Gilford, who played Hysterium, became seriously strained during their run of Forum due to some of Mostel's outrageousness. At times, Mostel would endanger Gilford onstage, for example running into him at full force with his enormous mass after drinking the "passion potion". Although it is clear that Mostel crossed the line of appropriateness when other castmembers' safety was involved, it is also clear that where you stand depends upon where you sit. Fellow production members' plague was the audience's joy.

The same can be said for Nathan Lane's run as Pseudolus, although Lane's adlibs did not take on Mostel's Rhinoceros-like presence. Lane put his own inimitable mark on the show, delighting his audiences with adlibs ranging from chastising latecomers to bringing out a cup of coffee for an audience member who was dozing, to performing the macarena and making reference to his movie The Birdcage.

In conversation, one castmember said he thought everything Lane did was for the good of the show. Lane certainly seems to have been more generous than Mostel. As Vincent Canby of the New York Times said, "Unlike the legendary Mostel, who delighted audiences by reportedly climbing all over the show and more or less taking it hostage, Mr. Lane succeeds by working with his colleagues." And yet, there are rumors that Lane's adlibbing irritated Lewis J. Stadlen, who played the role of Senex to Lane's Pseudolus. It certainly did not strain their friendship to the extent that Mostel and Gilford's relationship was strained.

During Lane's run, Larry Gelbart still longed for a precise rendition of his book. Nonetheless, he was undoubtedly pleased with Lane's Pseudolus, as Gelbart later admitted he had been with Mostel's. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, because of its wonderful book, not despite it, is a perfect vehicle to showcase great Tony worthy talents, such as Zero Mostel and Nathan Lane.

Soon after Whoopi Goldberg stepped in, New York papers were clamoring for adlibs. This is amusing considering the fact that director George Abbot didn't even want Zero Mostel to adlib reactions to the courtesans' dancing in the Marcus Lycus scene, worrying that the audience wouldn't pay enough attention to the courtesans. It is difficult to imagine the Marcus Lycus scene during Nathan Lane's run without his wonderfully comical reactions to the courtesans. Should Whoopi be encouraged to adlib? If she is persuaded to do so, it certainly misses the spirit of adlibbing. It is Whoopi's "imagination [that] should flower." Apparently it has to some extent in her successful run, including a reference to her movie Ghost in the soothsayer scene.

What is the role of the actor? What should be the extent of his or her contribution? Audience members hope for balance; we reap the benefits of a great book, great songs, and great talents.

And what of the American history played behind the scenes in productions such as Forum? One anecdote concerning the Mostel production illustrates how American history and musical theatre history are intertwined. Forum needed fixing before it got to Broadway, as many shows do, and Hal Prince suggested to director George Abbot that Jerome Robbins be called in to give his advice. Of course, Robbins suggested to Sondheim that he change the opening number ("Love is in the Air"), and the rest is musical theatre history in the form of "Comedy Tonight" (not to mention Robbins' choreographical contributions to the show).

However, it was not a given that Robbins could come and evaluate the show. Robbins had been a "friendly witness" before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. During the insane and often tragic days of Macarthyism, Robbins had identified Jack Gilford's wife, Madeline, as a communist. Zero Mostel, who had himself been blacklisted (well detailed by Jared Brown in Mostel's biography), had understandably mixed feelings about working with Robbins. Furthermore, Jack Gilford didn't know how he could work with Robbins after what he had done to his wife.

As we know, they agreed to bring Robbins in. Madeline Gilford convinced her husband to remain in the show, saying "Why should you blacklist yourself? And why should all of us who fought against Macarthyism be further penalized?" Zero Mostel, thinking of all of the actors' jobs involved, agreed to Robbins' involvement, saying "We of the left do not blacklist."

What a weighty decision Mostel and Gilford had to make; Macarthyism had ruined so many people's lives. There is so much involved in a show of which the audience members are unaware. And yet, although we may not know all that is involved in a musical theatre piece, we as audience members are lucky enough to be involved with the show as it occurs before our eyes. As Nathan Lane would say on occasion from the St. James stage to delinquent audience members, "This isn't a big screen TV, you know!" That is part of what makes the theatre great.