Something for everyone! Plautus and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”

Emily and Cam tackle “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”—an uproarious adaptation of Plautus’ Roman comedy.Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:https://havetogawilltravel.comSome plays of Plautus referenced in this episode:PseudolusMostellariaMiles GloriosusMenaechmiCover Image:Mosaic of Masks. Second or third century CE. Found on the Aventine, possibly on the site of the ancient Thermae Decianae; now held in the Capitoline Museums. Photo by Carole Raddato, Wikimedia Commons.----------00:11 - Introduction00:38 - A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Sonheim’s Musical and the 1966 film03:19 - Our approach to reviewing adaptations of ancient literature05:20 - Plautus and Roman Comedy05:29 - What we know about Plautus himself (his dates, his name, his background)09:41 - Plautus' style: Roman comedy, exotic settings, stock plots, and stock characters17:56 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Plautus on Screen18:51 - The setting: “A less fashionable suburb of Rome”19:44 - The characters (Pseudolus, Hysterium, Marcus Lycus, Hero, Philia, Miles Gloriosus, and others)23:33 - The plot, in all of its messiness27:15 - The movie’s sources: Plautus’ Pseudolus, Mostellaria, Miles Gloriosus, and other plays33:01 - Metatheatre in Plautus and in A Funny Thing36:25 - The movie’s departures from Plautus: More is more! (Expansive sets, elaborate scenes, and exaggerated physical comedy)43:36 - Cam and Emily discuss their reactions (and we learn the dirty secrets of Emily’s history with this film!49:01 – Wrap-up