Something familiar,
Something peculiar,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!
The original Broadway product 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. So it’s hardly surprising that, even though movie musicals were dying out by 1966, the play made the transition to film, courtesy of Richard Lester (one of my favorite directors of all time) and a “Forum Quorum” of borscht belt comedians (and Jon Pertwee, who was brother to one of the screenwriters and Doctor Who 1970-1974).
The play and the film are inspired by the farces of Plautus (251-183 BC), an ancient Roman playwright. Most of the character names are Latin for some key feature of that character (e.g. Miles Gloriosus means “boastful soldier”).
Every actor who has opened in the role of Pseudolus on Broadway (Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, and Nathan Lane – so far) won a Best Actor Tony for their performance. In addition, Jason Alexander, who performed as Pseudolus in one scene in "Jerome Robbins' Broadway", also won a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.
Lessons and inspirations (and maybe a few laughs) from this great comedy after the break.
Something appealing,
Something appalling,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!
Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns;
Bring on the lovers, liars and clowns!
Old situations,
New complications,
Nothing portentous or polite;
Tragedy tomorrow,
Comedy tonight!
Lessons and inspirations (and maybe a few laughs) from this great comedy after the break.
Something convulsive,
Something repulsive,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!
Something aesthetic,
Something frenetic,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!
Nothing with gods, nothing with fate;
Weighty affairs will just have to wait!
Nothing that's formal,
Nothing that's normal,
No recitations to recite;
Open up the curtain:
Comedy Tonight!
- The beautiful women are for those of you with absolutely no interest in pirates.
- Disgraceful. All that revolting flesh. Just next door…
- Never fall in love during a total eclipse.
- The Greeks, as you know, were very poor scholars.
- You must never know what goes on in that house – but isn’t it amazing?
- There’s no way to make falling in love with a courtesan sound like an achievement.
Something erratic,
Something dramatic,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!
Frenzy and frolic,
Strictly symbolic,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!
- People don’t go around freeing slaves every day, but you could be the first and start a fashion.
- You’ll never learn. You’ll be a eunuch all your life.
- It’s not nice to walk out of a place without buying something.
- Don’t you know? When they start smiling, the end is near.
- An honest virgin is a terrible combination.
- Everybody ought to have a maid.
- You’d be a terribly soothsayer if you didn’t know when someone needed the sooth said.
- If you know it isn’t true, and I know it isn’t true, what do we care what they think?
- Stand aside everyone! I take large steps.
- I meant "yes." It just came out "no."
- Necrophytes, the patron of procurers, panderers, and go-betweens, is a new god – but a very hard worker.
- It’s against Roman law to take one’s own life. The penalty is death.
- No one can afford to offend the gods.
- If you're only as happy as your mother and I have been... my heart bleeds for you.
Stunning surprises!
Cunning disguises!
Hundreds of actors out of sight!
Pantaloons and tunics!
Courtesans and eunuchs!
Funerals and chases!
Baritones and basses!
Panderers!
Philanderers!
Cupidity!
Timidity!
Mistakes!
Fakes!
Rhymes!
Crimes!
Tumblers!
Grumblers!
Bumblers!
Fumblers!
No royal curse, no Trojan horse,
And a happy ending, of course!
Goodness and badness,
Panic is madness--
This time it all turns out all right!
Tragedy tomorrow,
Comedy tonight!
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