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To help him in this charade, he persuades Hysterium to don a wig and women’s clothes and pretend to be the corpse. The very much alive Philia, hearing her contracted owner has returned, dim wittedly thinks that old Senex is the man who has purchased her, so Senex excitedly tries to escape his battle-ax of a wife, Domina, in order to enjoy his good luck.
Fri3. Sat4. Study Guides. Characters: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Characters: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Prologus: An actor who introduces the play, Prologus then changes into the character he plays throughout: Pseudolus. Senex: An older man, but one still attracted to wine, women, and song, Senex is the ...
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Act I A spring evening in Ancient Rome, circa 200 years before the Christian era, and, as is his wont, the thespian Prologus bids us welcome to his temple - wherein are worshipped the gods of tragedy and comedy. Alas, tragedy will have to wait, for it is Comedy Tonight. "Raise the curtain!" he cries, and promptly it falls to the floor, revealing th...
Comedy, Tonight - Prologus, the Proteans, CompanyLove, I Hear - HeroFree - Pseudolus HeroThe House of Marcus Lycus - Lycus, Pseudolus CourtesansPROLOGUS - An actor who also plays: - PSEUDOLUS - Slave to Hero, but with dreams of freedom.HERO - The teenage son of Senex, he has already found true love.SENEX - An old man, reluctantly dragged along to visit his mother-in-law.DOMINA - The aptly-named wife of Senex.The time is two hundred years before the Christian era, a day in spring. The place is a street in Rome in front of houses of Erronius, Senex and Lycus. Listen to the Music(You will need to have Real Player installed and Java Script enabled - Real Player can be downloaded from here also)
With the ruse thus revealed, Pseudolus, Hysterium and Domina (both dressed as Philia), Philia and Hero run for their lives, resulting in a madcap chase with both Miles and Senex in pursuit. Meanwhile, the courtesans from the house of Marcus Lycus, who had been recruited as mourners at "Philia"'s ersatz funeral, have escaped, and Lycus sends his eunuchs out to retrieve them, adding to the ...
- Bert Shrevelove, Larry Gelbert, Stephen Sondheim
- 2000
Pseudolus convinces Hysterium to wear a dress and pose as the “deceased” bride (“Lovely,” in a comic reprise). Gloriosus is momentarily heartbroken and then demands a funeral, including a farewell kiss. That’s a step too far for Hysterium, who bolts. A chaotic chase sequence ensues, finishing with the capture of Pseudolus and Hysterium.
Senex and Philia. In order to continue the story, Pseudolus poses as a soothsayer to keep Erroneous away from his home. Note: Pseudolus and Hysterium should perform all pantomimed actions in italics.) Hysterium: Your house is…is haunted. (Pseudolus enters, stirring the potion, listens) Erronius: Impossible! My house haunted, you say? Strange!
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Pseudolus blackmails his slave overseer Hysterium (whose collection of pornographic pottery would shock his prudish owner, Dominia) into masquerading in drag as the “dead” Philia. Things go wrong at every turn. Meanwhile, Hero’s parents, Senex and Dominia, have returned home to add to the chaos.
