A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Book by Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart | Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim
Directed by: David Rogers
Auditions will be held from 7:00pm – 9:00pm on January 29 and 30, 2018.
Auditions and callbacks will be held at the Sermon Center, 201 N. Dodgion Street, Independence, MO 64050.
Auditions will consist of singing 16 bars of a contemporary comedic song and a one-minute contemporary, comedic monologue. Callbacks will include cold reads of sides from the show.
Women should be prepared to dance. Dance specialties could be in light ballet, belly dance, or gymnastics but they are not required.
Introduces the audience to the comedy they are about to see. (Same actor who portrays Pseudolus).
An old man and father to Hero and husband to Domina.
Senex’s wife. A shrewish woman who dominates to the point of answering herself the questions she asks of others. Loves her husband deep down, but is outwardly controlling, demanding, and manipulative.
The young son of Senex and Domina. He falls in love with Philia and agrees to give Pseudolus his freedom if he can help Hero woo her. Practical, privileged, romantic.
The chief slave in the House of Senex. Believes he is in control, but is actually Pseudolus’ puppet to carry out his schemes. Anxious, conservative, loyal. He desperately wants everything to be in order.
A Roman slave, owned by Hero, who seeks to win his freedom by helping his young master win the heart of Philia. Quick-witted, scheming, childlike spirit.
An old man, searching for his lost children.
The archetype of the braggart soldier. A captain in the Roman army to whom Marcus Lycus has promised Philia. Commanding, boastful, manly and strong.
The owner of the house of Courtesans. Always out to make a profit, but also wants to provide good on what his business offers.
A virgin in the House of Lycus whom we also find out is Erronius’ daughter. She is promised to Miles and vows to give him bodily what he has paid for, but loves Hero and promises he will always have her heart. Young, pretty, devoted. An archetypal ingénue.
Courtesans, Proteans, Soldiers
Synopsis:
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 (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. The plot displays many classic elements of farce, including puns, the slamming of doors, cases of mistaken identity (frequently involving characters disguising themselves as one another), and satirical comments on social class. The title derives from a line often used by vaudeville comedians to begin a story: “A funny thing happened on the way to the theater”.
Performance Dates: April 5, 6, 7, 12,13,14, and 15, 2018
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is presented by special arrangement with Musical Theatre International, Inc.
