Act One—“Tragedy tomorrow; comedy tonight!”

Act Two—Pseudolus: “What’s happened?”  Hysterium: “What hasn’t happened??”

Such sums up the plot of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” first performed on Broadway in 1962 and currently onstage at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth.

The story is set in ancient Greece, and we’ve got a slave, Pseudolus (the glorious Steven Dascoulias) desperate for his freedom; a virginal courtesan Philia (Cary Davis) sold to a marauding sea captain, Miles Gloriosus (Joseph Cooper); a tired but randy old lord, Senex (Don LaBranche); his less-than-appealing wife Domina (Donna Goldfarb); and their love-struck son, Hero (Geo Seery). When Hero promises Pseudolus his freedom if he can only procure Philia for him, Pseudolus hatches his plans into action, with the help of his beleaguered sidekick Hysterium (Jamie Cepero III). Throw in next-door neighbor brothel-master Marcus Lycus (Jonathan Roth) and his merry band of courtesans, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a lot of Grecian disaster.

Too ofte, directors feel the need to reinvent the wheel when approaching an old standard, trying to put a new spin on a formula that already works. Luckily, Adrienne Maitland (doing double duty as choreographer and director) sees Stephen Sondheim’s “Forum” for just the show that it is—simply a silly good time—and she wisely lets it be just that.

Maitland has cast this show exceedingly well; there are performers onstage who so embody their roles it’s difficult to recognize them when they walk into the lobby after the performance. And once cast, she works with each performer to bring their individual charms to their respective roles.

It’s all too infrequently that Steven Dascoulias takes the stage, but when he does, he’s a force to behold and a thrill to watch; he has a way of making each person in the house feel as though he’s performing just for us. As Pseudolus, he charms, endears, tickles and enchants. His voice is a lovely instrument and his comic timing is a well-oiled machine. He’s equally matched by the mighty force of Jonathan Roth as Marcus Lycus, whose youthful face belies his rich bass and his very precise comic gift. As Philia and Hero, Cary Davis and Geo Seery bring us truly lovely singing voices, and they’ve honed their performances to mesh beautifully; he’s every bit as bland as she is clueless, and it’s just delightful. Don LaBranche’s portrayal of a nearly senile Senex more than makes up for his weaker vocals, and Donna Goldfarb’s lascivious desire for her husband’s attention gives us a medieval look at the Desperate Housewife. Handsome Jamie Capero III sings and dances his way into our hearts as Hysterium, even as he valiantly tries to keep the bleep from heating the palm fronds.

There’s also a surprise in this cast. Every now and then, a performer steps onstage and, for reasons that are simply a fact of nature, commands the space in a way few others can. Joseph Cooper is just such an artist. As the robust, lusty sea captain Gloriosus, he has an operatic bass and powerhouse personality to truly captivate an audience. An artist of several mediums, he’s a name to watch for in the future.

Beat the heat and enjoy a simple tale of all things gone wrong made right again. It’s just fun.