It’s almost curtain time. There is a buzz of excitement in the audience, soft murmurs, the rustle of papers. Then the 164-seat house darkens, and the familiar admonition (now heard in theaters across the country) comes over the speakers. “Turn off beepers, pagers, cell phones.” Unwrap the candy — now!
The audience grows instantly quiet, and the stage lights up, revealing a solitary figure on stage. It is actor Rick Waln, in Roman tunic and wreath, who greets the Westport Community Theatre audience. They are back in Rome, 200 B.C., he tells them. At least Stephen Sondheim’s Rome. With gesture, voice and stance, Waln quickly seduces the audience, pulling them into the make-believe world of musical theater.
“Playgoers, I bid you welcome,” he tells his attentive listeners. “The theater is a temple, and we are here to worship the gods of comedy and tragedy. Tonight, I am pleased to announce a comedy.”