Shows · A Funny Thing... Forum (1996 Revival)
A Funny Thing... Forum (1996 Revival)
Opened 1996
715 performances
Revival, Megamusical
In ancient Rome, the cunning slave Pseudolus schemes to win his freedom by helping his young master Hero win the beautiful courtesan Philia, who has been promised to a braggart warrior. Through a series of increasingly frantic deceptions involving mistaken identities, a domineering wife, and a lecherous old neighbor, Pseudolus outwits everyone and earns his liberty.
- Music
- Stephen Sondheim
- Lyrics
- Stephen Sondheim
- Book
- Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart
Productions1 on Broadway
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. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifically Curculio, 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. The plot displays many classic elements of farce, including puns, the slamming of doors, comedy of mistaken identity (frequently involving characters disguising themselves as one another), and satirical comments on social class. The title derives from a line…
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