Plautus News

Lyric Music Theater of South Portland presents a rollicking production of Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, enlivened by the excellent performances of its leads, the cheeky choreography of Victoria Perreault, and the fast-paced direction of Mary Meserve and John Blanchette.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the final mainstage production in its 20th Anniversary 'Season of Sondheim,' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, tonight, April 17 - May 24, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, direction by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber with music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Linda Madonia and choreography by Porchlight Artistic Associate Brenda Didier at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Previews are tonight, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m. and Monday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the stars below!

Centenary Stage Company presents the world premiere of Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso starring in "Then Came Each Actor," a celebration of and tribute to the legendary actors and actresses of the great classical stage tradition -- Sarah Siddons, Henry Irving, Julia Marlowe, Edwin Booth, Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, Paul Robeson, Morris Carnovsky and Phoebe Brand -- whose body of work and lives on and off the stage have inspired Kim and Occhiogrosso for over four decades.

Custom Made Theatre Co. Presents the World Premiere of The Braggart Soldier, or Major Blowhard, by Plautus, adapted and directed by Evren Odcikin, tonight, March 27-April 26.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the final mainstage production in its 20th Anniversary "Season of Sondheim," A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, April 17 - May 24, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, direction by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber with music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Linda Madonia and choreography by Porchlight Artistic Associate Brenda Didier at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Previews are Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m. and Monday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the stars below!

Centenary Stage Company presents the world premiere of Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso starring in "Then Came Each Actor," a celebration of and tribute to the legendary actors and actresses of the great classical stage tradition -- Sarah Siddons, Henry Irving, Julia Marlowe, Edwin Booth, Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, Paul Robeson, Morris Carnovsky and Phoebe Brand -- whose body of work and lives on and off the stage have inspired Kim and Occhiogrosso for over four decades.

Custom Made Theatre Co. Presents the World Premiere of The Braggart Soldier, or Major Blowhard, by Plautus, adapted and directed by Evren Odcikin, March 27-April 26.

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber present the next production in the second season of Chicago's hit 'lost' musicals in staged concert series, Porchlight Revisits... City of Angels, featuring book by Larry Gelbart (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, M*A*S*H), music by Cy Coleman (Sweet Charity, Barnum) and lyrics by David Zippel (The Goodbye Girl, Disney's Mulan) with direction by Christopher Pazdernik and music direction by Aaron Benham. City of Angels is presented for two-nights-only tonight, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. and is performed on the set of Porchlight's Sondheim on Sondheim (February 6 - March 15) on nights when there are no performances at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.

Following a record-breaking 2014-15 season, Hillbarn Theatre, the Peninsula's premier community theatre company, announced last night the six productions that will comprise the lineup for its 75th Anniversary season, 'Dare to Dream.'

Bayou City Theatrics' starts off its spring season in good humor with its production of the comedy. The lyrics of the opening song promise 'Something appealing, something appalling, something for everyone...tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight,' and this production certainly does not disappoint. The farcical depiction of ancient Rome is ripe with smart, comical moments, boundless energy, endless laughs and impeccable choreography.

After seeing the new INTO THE WOODS movie twice over the holidays, I posted on Twitter about how two of the songs had stuck with me. After a tweet conversation, my BWW colleague Jeff Walker and I decided to put our heads together to try and come up with a list of Sondheim's most hummable tunes. Despite not discussing it beforehand, Jeff ended up picking songs from the 1960s and 70s, and I filled in the gaps with numbers from the 80s and 90s.

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber have announced the next production in the second season of Chicago's hit 'lost' musicals in staged concert series, Porchlight Revisits... City of Angels, featuring book by Larry Gelbart (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, M*A*S*H), music by Cy Coleman (Sweet Charity, Barnum) and lyrics by David Zippel (The Goodbye Girl, Disney's Mulan) with direction by Christopher Pazdernik and music direction by Aaron Benham. City of Angels is presented for two-nights-only Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. and is performed on the set of Porchlight's Sondheim on Sondheim (February 6 - March 15) on nights when there are no performances at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.

The feature film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved fairy tale musical INTO THE WOODS is coming to movie theaters nationwide on Christmas Day and BroadwayWorld celebrates the man behind the music and lyrics with a new series highlighting the work of the iconic composer and lyricist, kicking off today with a look at his work in the 1950s and 1960s.

?San Francisco's Custom Made Theatre Company has been accepted as an associate member of the National New Play Network (NNPN), according to Custom Made's managing executive director Leah Abrams.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Tony winner James Corden will be the new host of THE LATE LATE SHOW. Corden - a multi-faceted performer, host, writer and producer with accomplishments that span television, theater, film and comedy - will take the reins of the daily late night show in 2015.While that means good news for late night television audiences, it strikes a blow to the producers of the planned Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,' in which Corden was to star.

Custom Made Theatre announces its 2014-2015 season. The award-winning company will stage six exciting works, opening with the Bay Area premiere of Eric Simonson's adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse- Five, or The Children's Crusade and closing the season with Grey Gardens: The Musical. Two of the shows are Bay Area Premieres and one, Plautus's The Braggart Soldier, or Major Blowhard, adapted and directed by Evren Odcikin, is a World Premiere.

Corden would take play Pseudolus, following in the footsteps of Nathan Lane, Zero Mostel, and Phil Silvers, who all took home Tony awards for their performances.

Germantown Community Theatre presents a 'Comedy Tonight!' One of Broadway's greatest farces, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is fast paced, witty and one of the funniest musicals ever written. EVER. Join us as we take comedy back to its roots, combining the time-tested fun of 2000 year old comedic Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic Vaudeville.

Germantown Community Theatre presents a "Comedy Tonight!" One of Broadway's greatest farces, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is fast paced, witty and one of the funniest musicals ever written. EVER. Join us as we take comedy back to its roots, combining the time-tested fun of 2000 year old comedic Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic Vaudeville.

Today in 1962, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opened at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre), where it ran for 964 performances. 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, 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 musical's original 1963 Broadway run won several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book. A Funny Thing has enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals and was made into a successful film starring the original lead of the musical, Zero Mostel.