Erronius immediately determines to have a soothsayer come and banish the spirit from his house, and Pseudolus obligingly poses as one, telling Erronius that, in order to banish the spirit, he must travel seven times around the seven hills of Rome (thus keeping the old man occupied and out of the way for quite a while). Complicating matters further, Domina returns from her trip early, suspicious that her husband Senex is "up to something low." [4] This production was nominated for the 2005 Olivier Award, Outstanding Musical Production.[5]. A revival opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 4, 1972 and closed on August 12, 1972 after 156 performances. When his master and mistress leave for the day, he finds out that the young master has fallen in love with a virgin in the house of Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers), a slave dealer specializing in beautiful women. Taking the bait, Senex instructs Hysterium to draw him a bath in the long-abandoned house of Erronius. “Yes,” says Pseudolus, “but how often will we find ourselves in this position?”, Lycus: The owner of the brothel, Lycus is the snaky, slimy, lecherous procurer of courtesans. The song "Love Is in the Air" was originally intended as the opening number. "Echo Song" and "Farewell" had been added to a production staged in Los Angeles the previous year and were composed by Sondheim. Are the monsters within us?’ [Exclusive Video Interview], Oscar-nominated movies with the longest titles, My Top 40 Movies For 1966 (in list order).

In October 2012 the play opened at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, with Geoffrey Rush as Pseudolus, Magda Szubanski as Domina and Shane Bourne as Senex. Filming & Production Written by It is she that tells a slave who is carrying a sculpture of her to “carry my bust with pride”—and she doesn’t even know it’s a funny line! The lighting design was by Jean Rosenthal. | .

Directed by co-author Burt Shevelove the cast starred Phil Silvers as Pseudolus (later replaced by Tom Poston), Lew Parker as Senex, Carl Ballantine as Lycus and Reginald Owen as Erronius. View production, box office, & company info. Pseudolus offers to impersonate Lycus and talk his way out of the mess but, his ingenuity flagging, he ends up merely telling the Captain that Philia has disappeared, and that he, "Lycus", will search for her.

Erronius: A befuddled old man who is partially blind and always confused, Erronius spends most of the play bemoaning his two children who were kidnapped by pirates years ago. A slave belonging to Hero, Pseudolus wishes to buy, win, or steal his freedom.

A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom. Set in post-nuclear-holocaust England, where a handful of bizarre characters struggle on with their lives in the ruins, amongst endless heaps of ash, piles of broken crockery and brick, ... See full summary ». You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Larry Blyden, who played Hysterium, the role created by Jack Gilford, also co-produced. Complications ensue. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a 1966 British-American DeLuxe Color musical comedy film, based on the stage musical of the same name. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The original Broadway production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" opened at the Alvin Theater on May 1, 1962, ran for 964 performances and won the 1963 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Best Book. Pseudolus (Zero Mostel) is the laziest slave in Rome, and has one wish, to purchase his freedom. In the 1986 revival, Patrick Cargill was Senex with Ronnie Stevens as Hysterium and Derek Royle as Erronius. By submitting this form, you are granting Utah Shakespeare Festival, 351 West Center Street, Cedar City, Utah, 84720, United States, permission to email you. The scenic and costume design was by Tony Walton. Those words from the opening song pretty much describe the menu in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a frantic adaptation of the stage musical by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove. Hero confides in Pseudolus that he is in love with the lovely Philia, one of the courtesans in the House of Lycus (albeit still a virgin). A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. With Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Michael Crawford. lithe as a tigress . Pseudolus cons him into helping him in his plots, including dressing Hysterium up as the corpse of Philia. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. That, I do not understand at all. . On the half-full side we get to see Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford reprising their Broadway roles, and they're joined by a fine supporting cast including Phil Silvers as Lycus (ironically, he would star as Pseudolus in the 1972 Broadway revival) and Buster Keaton in his last film. Title: This FAQ is empty. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (251–183 BC), specifically Pseudolus, Miles Gloriosus, and Mostellaria, the musical tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door. Information about Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, including news and gossip, production information, synopsis, musical numbers, sheetmusic, cds, videos, books, sound and video clips, tickets, lyrics, rights holders, the … A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.

(uncredited), assistant production designer (uncredited), special effects unit supervisor (uncredited), based on the stage play produced by (as Harold S. Prince). Unfortunately, it turns out that Miles Gloriosus has just returned from Crete, where there is of course no actual plague. [1] From that point on, the show was a success. And it's too bad this wasn't a roadshow movie with an intermission because Mostel's funny Act One closer would have worked great there as well.All in all it's worth having, but be prepared for your mood to shift from seeing the film as a half-full glass or a half-empty one. For the film, see, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film), Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To the Forum", "Thoroughly Modern Millie Closes in London as New Musicals Prepare to Open", " 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' 1972", " 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' Broadway 1996", "AusStage - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Richard Kind to Star in Fairfield Center's 'Forum'", "Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight: 'Forum' Begins Run at Sondheim Center", "Sean Cullen to Replace Injured Bruce Dow in Stratford 'Forum' ", "Theatre Review. . Plot Keywords

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum characters breakdowns including full descriptions with standard casting requirements and expert analysis. Opened 8 May 1962 at the Alvin Theatre, moved 9 March 1964 to the Mark Hellinger Theatre, moved 12 May 1964 to the Majestic Theatre, and closed 29 August 1964 after 964 performances Sign up to get interesting news and updates delivered to your inbox. This wardrobe is on display at the Costume World Broadway Collection in Pompano Beach, Florida. The show won several Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Burns), Best Book, and Best Director. Pseudolus promises to help him win Philia's love in exchange for his own freedom. The show was presented twice in London's West End.

However, he is overjoyed when it is revealed that Philia Miles Gloriosus are the long-lost children. Philia: Still a virginal girl, the beautiful and young, yet dumb, Philia none the less belongs to Lycus and is a courtesan-in-training, already contracted to be sold to Miles Gloriosus.

She and Hero, however, are in love; and Hero has enlisted Pseudolus to get her for him.

A tiny country persuades the Americans and Soviets that they're starting a space program, when they really just want some money for new plumbing. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was made into a musical film in 1966, directed by Richard Lester, with Mostel and Gilford re-creating their Broadway stage roles, Leon Greene reprising his West End stage role, and Phil Silvers in an expanded role as "Marcus Lycus".

10 Stars Who Just Need an Emmy to Egot, From Elton John to Stephen Sondheim (Photos), Talkabout "Walkabout": Exclusive Interview With Luc Roeg, Nathan Lane (‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels’): ‘How does history repeat itself? This page was last edited on 16 September 2020, at 20:50. Senex: An older man, but one still attracted to wine, women, and song, Senex is the perennially henpecked husband. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum guide sections. [6] "Pretty Little Picture" and "That'll Show Him" were dropped from the show, and were replaced with "Echo Song" (sung by Hero and Philia), and "Farewell" (added for Nancy Walker as Domina, as she and Senex depart for the country).

Next is the house of Senex, his wife Domina, and their son Hero.