BWW Preview: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM at Two River Theater

Christopher Fitzgerald brings down the house with his comedic timing in every show he's in. The two-time Tony Award nominee starred on Broadway in Chicago, Amor, Wicked, Young Frankenstein, Finian's Rainbow, The Merchant of Venice, An Act of God and this season in Waitress. Right now, he's prepping for more "Comedy Tonight" in an all-male production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Two River Theater in Red Bank. I got to chat one-on-one with the Broadway star about the production, making history and his upcoming Broadway season.

Leigh Scheps: You're starring in an all-male production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; tell me about it.

Christopher Fitzgerald: A lot of testosterone right off the bat. I always admired this show, but I only knew it from the film [starring Zero Mostel] which had amazing moments in it that I found as a child were strange. It wasn't until we started to examine it that I quickly was blown away by its incredible book and then the score also became one of my favorites. The production takes place in Rome; a troop of men are performing the play, 'Pseudolus,' which is what the show is based on. [Back then the plays] were all performed by men. Women were not allowed to perform and even female characters didn't speak. Forum is already almost an all-male show. There are only two female characters that speak. One is the dumb, beautiful blonde and the other is the shrew, sexless wife. The other six female characters are courtesans. We're a troop in Rome and we play all the parts. It's not campy --it's earnestly played. We're also all double cast and it's all justified by the opening number, "Comedy Tonight." It's going to be an absurd, insane evening and you can expect a lot of laughs. It's not to say this is the way Forum should be done from now on, but it's an interesting look at how comedy works with a fresh eye in 2015.

LS: What's it like to take on a part once played by Nathan Lane? Do you tip your hat to him in the show at all?

CF: He is a friend of mine and he is one of my favorite performers I've worked with or watched. He inspires me in everything I do.

LS: A similar version of the show was mounted in 2010 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Do you have any funny stories from that production?

CF: It was interesting to see how it played when you have all guys playing women and then suddenly one of the characters dresses up as a woman. And they said in the show, "You didn't tell me I had to dress up like a woman!" So I improvised, "Well, have you seen the whole cast? Everyone is doing it." That was pretty funny.

LS: What are you looking forward to with this run?

CF: It's an amazing company of actors. You don't often get to take these types of risks in New York and allow our 'great clowns' to do what they do. So, I am looking forward to sharing this with Red Bank and New York. Hopefully people have a good time. It's a fun part to play. It fits me so well and I am having a ball doing it.

LS: Is it tough to work with your wife as the boss?

CF: No, [Jessica Stone and I have] been together for 16 years. We've worked as actors together several times and she's been my director before, too. She's my favorite person to work with because she has great ideas. We have signals that if we are having a personal moment; we try to share that outside the room. But one of the actors didn't know we were married the first week of rehearsals. He said he had no idea, so I said, "What did you think?" He said, "You don't call her 'honey' or 'baby' or anything like that. That's pretty impressive."

LS: When do you start rehearsal for Waitress?

CF: We start in February. I am excited because the material is wonderful. It's a project I've been with for a while and I've done a bunch of readings for it. It's a beautiful piece and very different from Forum.

LS: In August, you made history to be the first actor contracted to play both starring male roles in Chicago. What was it like performing both Billy Flynn and Amos?

CF: I don't know how Barry [Weissler] got it in his mind that I could play both roles. A part like Amos seems like a natural fit, but Barry said Billy Flynn was the real natural fit and there's no need he has to be a tall, smoldering guy. The acting has to work. So, I gave the part Jimmy Cagney tough guy treatment and it really worked. I wanted to see if I could do both [parts] in one evening, but they have scenes together so it didn't work.

LS: Are you looking forward to spending some time in Red Bank? Any restaurants you're looking forward to trying?

CF: I am getting coffee right now at Rook. I want everyone to get coffee here and then see the show.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs from November 14, 2015 to December 13, 2015. For tickets, visit Two River Theater.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!