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.com Some plays of Plautus referenced in this episode: Pseudolus Mostellaria Miles Gloriosus Menaechmi Cover 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 - Introduction 00:38 - A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Sonheim’s Musical and the 1966 film 03:19 - Our approach to reviewing adaptations of ancient literature 05:20 - Plautus and Roman Comedy 05:29 - What we know about Plautus himself (his dates, his name, his background) 09:41 - Plautus' style: Roman comedy, exotic settings, stock plots, and stock characters 17:56 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Plautus on Screen 18:51 - 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 messiness 27:15 - The movie’s sources: Plautus’ Pseudolus, Mostellaria, Miles Gloriosus, and other plays 33:01 - Metatheatre in Plautus and in A Funny Thing 36:25 - 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
