A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Musical
Overview
Synopsis
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a fast-paced farce that promises to have audiences rolling on the floor. Taking straight from the roots of comedy, Forum combines the ancient comedies of Plautus with a vaudevillian delivery. Pseudolus schemes to win the heart of the beautiful virgin, Phelia, for his young master, Hero. In exchange, Hero will grant Pseudolus his freedom once and for all. However, things are never as easy as they seem. Chaos ensues with hair-brained schemes, cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors and convoluted plot twists. One of the funniest musicals ever written, Forum promises: “Something for everyone: a comedy tonight!”
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Context
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opened on Broadway on May 8, 1962, at the Alvin Theatre. It transferred to the Mark Hellinger Theatre and subsequently the Majestic Theatre, where it closed on August 29, 1964. The original cast featured Zero Mostel (Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof; Max Bialystock in the original film, The Producers) as Pseudolus, David Burns (original Horace Vandergelder in Hello Dolly on Broadway) as Senex, and John Carradine (Casy in the film _The Grapes of
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PROLOGUE
Prologus enters, welcoming the audience to the theatre: a temple to worship the gods of comedy and tragedy. He assured the audience that tonight's presentation will be a comedy, and then goes on to explain the specifics of what is about to ensue (“Comedy Tonight”). Prologus and the Proteans perform bits of pantomime, until the curtains open to reveal the set. Prologus introduces the characters and the setting. On a street in Rome sits three homes in a row: the houses of
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Character Portrayals
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Songs
Act One
- "Comedy Tonight" – Pseudolus and Company
- "Love, I Hear" – Hero
- "Free" – Pseudolus and Hero
- "The House of Marcus Lycus" – Lycus and Pseudolus
- "Lovely" – Philia and Hero
- "Pretty Little Picture" – Pseudolus, Hero, and Philia
- "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" – Senex, Pseudolus, Hysterium and Lycus
- "I'm Calm" – Hysterium
- "Impossible" – Senex and Hero
- "Bring Me My Bride" – Miles Gloriosus and Company
Act Two
- "That Dirty Old Man" – Domina
- "That'll Show Him" – Philia
- "Lovely" (reprise) – Pseudolus and Hysterium
- "Funeral Sequence" – Pseudolus, Miles Gloriosus and Company
- "Finale" – Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.