The account so far was written some three decades ago—three decades in which revivals have been produced on both the New York and London stages. It is a period that has taken us further away from the vaudeville/variety background for the performers it was written for. However, as pointed out, it went on to be played by Zero Mostel who was not a vaudevillian but an actor renowned as an ad-libber and one who sought audience appreciation by often breaking the legitimate theatre rule of keeping behind the fourth wall—that void between actors and audience. He was an original and he was hugely successful in the part.
Broadway has played host to only one revival (an earlier touring version with Mickey Rooney kept away) in 1996. It starred Nathan Lane, an actor who had also been part of a comedy duo with Patrick Stack. As an actor he had shown his comic talent and was an almost obvious choice. It won him a Tony Award and was a hard act to follow, though not impossible with the inspired casting of Whoopi Goldberg, again an actress with a firm stand-up comedy background. The fact that a woman was playing a man’s role was dealt with quite simply—it was not mentioned.
Program cover for the 1973/74 season at the Forum Theatre, Billingham—the Phil Silvers’ revival that didn’t make it to London
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Poster for the 2004 Royal National Theatre revival
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London’s West End was supposed to have hosted the early Phil Silvers revival but a lack lustre pre-London tour stopped that. There was a summer outing for it in 1999 at the Regent’s Park Theatre that was well cast starring Roy Hudd, another comic turned actor loved by audiences for his naughty but nice personality.
The only major London revival was the unfortunate Royal National Theatre production in 2004 with Desmond Barrit as Pseudolus. Mr Barrit had a slight similarity in looks to Frankie Howard and was a well respected actor but with no stand-up comic background his asides to the audience lacked the necessary natural humour. It played its allotted season and disappeared.
It is a sad state for a brilliant show with an exceptional, but never really acknowledged as such, score. Hopefully there will be more revivals when suitable vaudevillian inspired performers can lovingly take the glorious role of Pseudolos to many states.
