A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Reston Community Players
in Reston, Virginia, United States

What To Know About This Production

Poster image for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Reston Community Players

Reston Community Players’ upcoming production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum promises to revel in the comic DNA that connects ancient Roman farce to 20th-century American humor. Built on Stephen Sondheim’s brisk score and the book by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove, Forum uses the timing and rhythm of vaudeville sketches—quick entrances and exits, double takes, sight gags, and bawdy punchlines—that once filled music halls and burlesque stages. It also anticipates the architecture of the television sitcom: stock characters with exaggerated desires, tangled plots of mistaken identity, and a reset button at the curtain that leaves the audience laughing, not brooding. RCP’s staging highlights the classic mechanics of comic construction—setups delivered with precision, running gags that escalate with each return, and the time-honored “rule of three” that makes the payoff land with maximum delight. The result is a joyous evening that connects the zaniness of Plautus to vaudeville banter, from Abbott and Costello’s wordplay to the ensemble chaos of I Love Lucy and Three’s Company, reminding us that laughter is a tradition as carefully crafted as any art form.

Forum will be directed by Michael Barret Jones. Jones is a nonprofit leader, theatre artist, and director with more than 30 years of experience in arts and community organizations across New Jersey, New York City, and the greater Washington, D.C. area. He currently serves as President of the Board of Reston Community Players, where he blends strategic vision with a deep love of storytelling. Beyond his nonprofit and directing work, Michael is also known onstage as drag performer Witti Repartee, a fixture of New York’s cabaret and nightlife scene for over two decades. As Witti, he has headlined shows, hosted benefits, and performed in venues ranging from intimate clubs to large galas, honing a sharp sense of timing, audience connection, and theatrical flair. Bringing together his experience as a performer and director, Michael infuses his productions with the same wit, warmth, and precision that have made both his professional leadership and stage artistry stand out.

Performances

  • Apr 17 Friday 8:00 PM
  • Apr 18 Saturday 8:00 PM
  • Apr 24 Friday 8:00 PM
  • Apr 25 Saturday 8:00 PM
  • Apr 26 Sunday 2:00 PM
  • May 1 Friday 8:00 PM
  • May 2 Saturday 8:00 PM
  • May 3 Sunday 2:00 PM
  • May 8 Friday 8:00 PM
  • May 9 Saturday 2:00 PM

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Auditions For A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Audition details are not yet posted. Check back later or reach out to Reston Community Players directly with any questions.

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Cast List For A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Available Roles

  • Pseudolus - A2 - High G Baritone, Age Range 30-55 A Roman slave, owned by Hero, seeking to win freedom by helping Hero win the heart of Philia. Must have an impeccable comic sense, and may be cast without regard to gender. Originated by Zero Mostel and later played to great acclaim by Phil Silvers and Nathan Lane, Pseudolus was also played on Broadway by Whoopi Goldberg, and at the Signature Theatre in 2024 by Erin Weaver. We are looking at the funniest people in the room for this role.
  • Protean 1 - Age Range is flexible Choristers who play multiple roles (slaves, citizens, soldiers and eunuchs). They accompany Pseudolus in "Comedy Tonight" and other numbers within the show, each will understudy one or two of the male principals.
  • Protean 2 - Age Range is flexible Choristers who play multiple roles (slaves, citizens, soldiers and eunuchs). They accompany Pseudolus in "Comedy Tonight" and other numbers within the show, each will understudy one or two of the male principals.
  • Protean 3 - Age Range is flexible Choristers who play multiple roles (slaves, citizens, soldiers and eunuchs). They accompany Pseudolus in "Comedy Tonight" and other numbers within the show, each will understudy one or two of the male principals.
  • Protean 4 - Age Range is flexible Choristers who play multiple roles (slaves, citizens, soldiers and eunuchs). They accompany Pseudolus in "Comedy Tonight" and other numbers within the show, each will understudy one or two of the male principals.
  • Senex - B flat-G flat Baritone, Age Range 40s-60s A henpecked, sardonic Roman Senator with a wandering eye. Hero's father and the aging master of the house.
  • Domina - A3 - F#5 Mezzo-Soprano, Age Range 40s-50s Wife of Senex. A manipulative, shrewish woman loathed by even her husband.
  • Hero - A2 - F#4 Tenor, Age Range 18-25 Senex's son, the handsome, innocent master, in love with Philia. This actor will be engaged in significant physical comedy and intimacy work with Philia.
  • Hysterium - A2 - G4 Tenor, Age Range 25-60 Nervous and hapless slave of Senex & Domina and unwitting accomplice in Psuedolus' schemes.
  • Marcus Lycus - A2 - F4 Baritone, Age Range 30s-50s A purveyor of courtesans, who operates next door to the house of Senex
  • The Duenna - 40-50s, Attendant to the Courtesans, also understudies Domina.
  • Tintinabula - Age Range 18-30s Tintinabula and Panacea will be cast traditionally; The Gemini will be a brother/sister combination. Vibrata is fun and feral. Gymnasia is a tall, statuesque, gender queer/fluid foil to Pseudolus.
  • Panacea - Age Range 18-30s Tintinabula and Panacea will be cast traditionally; The Gemini will be a brother/sister combination. Vibrata is fun and feral. Gymnasia is a tall, statuesque, gender queer/fluid foil to Pseudolus.
  • The Gemini (Female) - Age Range 18-30s Tintinabula and Panacea will be cast traditionally; The Gemini will be a brother/sister combination. Vibrata is fun and feral. Gymnasia is a tall, statuesque, gender queer/fluid foil to Pseudolus.
  • The Gemini (Male) - Age Range 18-30s Tintinabula and Panacea will be cast traditionally; The Gemini will be a brother/sister combination. Vibrata is fun and feral. Gymnasia is a tall, statuesque, gender queer/fluid foil to Pseudolus.
  • Vibrata - Age Range 18-30s Tintinabula and Panacea will be cast traditionally; The Gemini will be a brother/sister combination. Vibrata is fun and feral. Gymnasia is a tall, statuesque, gender queer/fluid foil to Pseudolus.
  • Gymnasia - Age Range 18-30s Tintinabula and Panacea will be cast traditionally; The Gemini will be a brother/sister combination. Vibrata is fun and feral. Gymnasia is a tall, statuesque, gender queer/fluid foil to Pseudolus.
  • Philia - A3 - G5 Soprano, Age Range 18-25 A virgin in the house of Marcus Lycus, and Hero's love interest. An ingenue who doesn't know how funny she really is. This actor will be engaged in significant physical comedy and intimacy work with Hero.
  • Erronius - A2 - F4 Baritone, Age Range 60s-70s (can be younger and aged) Senex's elderly neighbor, a sometimes befuddled old man. He's spent the past twenty years searching for his two children, kidnapped in infancy by pirates.
  • Miles Gloriosus - A2 - F4 Bass Baritone, Age Range 30s-40s A captain in the Roman army to whom Marcus Lycus has promised Philia. A braggart of the highest order, he is, in his own words, his "own ideal."

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