As Hysterium, a jittery servant, Christopher Adams raises some good laughs when Pseudolus tricks him into posing as a dead woman.
James Small portrays the swashbuckling, conceited Miles Gloriosus as a dull-witted thug. PJ Mitchell and Melanie Bauer convey innocence as Hero and Philia, respectively.
Some veteran stagers, well-known to local theatergoers, lend their experience to the youthful cast: Valerie Lash (Domina, Hero's mother), Bruce Leipold (her husband, Senex), Steven Ward (Marcus Lycus, keeper of a high-class brothel) and Bill Stanley (Erronius, a next-door neighbor who returns from a 20-year quest to give the story its unexpected resolution).
As is customary in a farce, all the performers overact - sometimes more than necessary.
The cast members are not singers, and some of them have trouble with Sondheim's angular melodies and tricky rhythms. They are not helped by an under-rehearsed orchestra. With the aid of Sondheim's brilliant lyrics, however, they put the songs over.
An impressive set created by Steven Ward and David Cunningham shows the houses of Lycus, Senex and Erronius, decorated with such pleasing details as bead curtains in the doorway of the brothel and gauzy cobwebs on the house of the long-absent Erronius.
Denise Umland's effective and attractive costumes are playful riffs on Roman attire.
Director Susan G. Kramer gives her actors abundant comic business and keeps the show running at a satisfyingly brisk pace.
The students in the cast are plainly having a great time playing Roman citizens, courtesans, soldiers and townspeople, and the opening-night audience responded warmly to their enthusiasm.
The Student Arts Collective presents "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" through Sunday in the college's Studio Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Performances are at 8 p.m. today, tomorrow and Saturday, and at 3 p.m. Sunday. Reservations: 410-772-4900, or www.howardcc.edu/studentarts
