A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

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"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is a musical comedy that premiered on Broadway in 1962, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. The show is a farcical romp through ancient Rome, following the exploits of the clever slave Pseudolus as he tries to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl of his dreams.

The show features a variety of memorable characters, including the love-struck Hero, the domineering Domina, the bumbling Senex, and the lascivious courtesan Gymnasia. The score is full of catchy tunes, such as "Comedy Tonight," "Lovely," and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid," and the show is known for its rapid-fire wordplay, physical comedy, and irreverent humor.

One of the show's most famous features is the performance of actor Zero Mostel as Pseudolus, a role that won him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Other notable members of the original cast included Jack Gilford, who played the henpecked Senex, and future "Golden Girls" star Bea Arthur, who played the commanding Domina.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was a critical and commercial success, running for more than 960 performances on Broadway and winning several Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It has since become a beloved classic of the musical theater canon and has been revived numerous times on Broadway and around the world.