You never know where love leads you.

Take, for instance, young Hero, a lovestruck Roman boy who falls hard for a beautiful courtesan named Philia. Philia, however, has been arranged to be married to the studly military man, Miles Glorious, so Hero enlists a slave named Pseudolus to get Philia out of the marriage. If Hero gets the girl, he’ll grant Pseudolus his freedom.

But the best laid plans of Hero and Pseudolus often go awry, and the result is a hilarious tale of misunderstandings and wild antics.

Complicating things even more are Hero’s parents - a flirting father and a domineering mother - as well as a conniving salesman, a hysterical head servant and a bumbling old man in search of his stolen children. It’s enough to make a man lose his toga.

“We must remain calm!” Pseudolus screams at one point.

This week, the Overlook Players will present their summer musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at the Franklin Fine Arts Center with shows on July 12, 13, and 14 at 7:30 p.m. and July 15 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students. Advanced tickets are available at the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce.

The show has that Seinfeld episode quality to it with characters trapped in predicaments they desperately try to get out of as forces continually get in the way of uniting Hero (Scotty Corbin) and Philia (Sarah Wilkins). Pseudolus (Fred Berger) will do just about anything to win his freedom, while the army captain groom-to-be Miles Glorious (Walter Herz) wants his bride.

David Spivey, Stephen Long (the show’s producer), Justin Corbin, Lee Berger and Steve Crabtree are part of a talented cast that is sure to keep its audiences in stitches.

“It’s an amazingly confusing story - but it’s funny,” said director Scotty Corbin.

More than a play about finding love, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” pokes fun at the arranged marriages, family life, slavery, military egos and mythology of the Roman Empire.

Considered a Broadway classic, Forum is based on the book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbert and includes music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The story was inspired by the works of Roman playwright Plautus.

Rather than deliver a tame toga tale, Corbin and his cast have dressed up Forum with a flamboyant look - ancient Rome meets Las Vegas - so the costumes and sets are wild and wacky.

“This show is extremely over the top,” Corbin said. “It’s a loud show, so you need loud color.”

Accompanist Mary Pitman and percussionist Tim Burrell provide just the right mood setting and pacing to keep the show lively. Find a good seat on the way to the forum. You’ll be laughing all the way home.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News