A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum Analysis

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical based on the book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart and written by Stephen Sondheim. It is a farce comedy that first premiered on Broadway on May 8th 1962 and eventually won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Author. The comedy is set in ancient Rome around three neighboring houses and a slave named Pseudolus. Throughout the play Pseudolus attempts to win the heart of Phelia, who is a virgin, for Hero, the son of Senex. In the pursuit of freedom Pseudolus creates a hilariously chaotic mess in the lives of Hero and his family; this ironic mess involves “hair-brained schemes, cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors, and convoluted plot twists” (“Synopsis”). A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum provides a unique representation of what one will subject themselves to in the pursuit of freedom. The Wake Forest Theatre presented this play on April 10, 2016 and succeeded in bringing the action and emotion to life on the stage.
The vocal director, Natalie Cordone, successfully collaborated with the Music Directors, David Hagy and Matthew Webb, to musically enhance the action and plot. The scenic designer, Rob Eastman-Mullins, crafted a visually engaging set that undeniably enhanced the aesthetic element of the performance. The costume designer, Tyler Wilson, created a plethora of captivating costumes that directly pulled the audience into the lives of the characters. Although all of the costumes were historically captivating, Tyler’s work on Philia and Hero’s costumes stood out the most to me. After hearing Tyler speak to the class, it was interesting to take note of how successfully distressed, or aged, his costumes to enhance the artistic portrayal of life in ancient