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Theatre Nebula ILLINOIS THEATRE ASSOCIATION EXCELLENCE IN THEATRE AWARD
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A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The ForumBook by Burt Shevelove and Larry GelbartMusic by Stephen Sondheim Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Based on the plays of Plautus Two Acts, Book Musical Rated PG SYNOPSIS "Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!" Broadway's greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written-the perfect escape from life's troubles. "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum" takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The result is a non-stop laugh-fest in which a crafty slave (Pseudolus) struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan (Philia) for his young master (Hero), in exchange for freedom. 
THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION, which opened in 1962 the Alvin Theatre (what is now the Neil Simon Theatre), played 964 performances - still the longest Broadway run for a Stephen Sondheim-written musical. Larry Gelbart, one of the co-authors, is perhaps best-known for his Emmy-winning writing for the long-running CBS series M*A*S*H." The original cast included Zero Mostel (Pseudolus) and Jack Gilford (Hysterium). Mostel and Michael Crawford (as Hero) appeared in the 1966 film version. In 1974, Phil Silvers headlined and won a Tony for this 156-performance revival. A Broadway revival opened in 1996, and Nathan Lane won a Tony for his portrayal of Pseudolus. Whoopi Goldberg was among his replacements, necessitating some minor book adjustments to accommodate the gender switch." Thumbs up for this uninhibited romp!" -The New York Times 
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