Pseudolus (Joe Leavitt) peeks through a fan held by a protean (David Quint) to see Tintinabula (Heather Funderburg) and Marucs Lycus (Jon Kopischke) in the Renaissance Players’ production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at The Renaissance Center.

Renaissance Players present A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Release Date: 10/8/2002. Expired: 10/27/2002

The old adage tells us “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” For those attending the Renaissance Players’ production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, that means there will be plenty of laughs from the classic musical comedy at The Renaissance Center in Dickson.

Shows are 7 p.m. Oct. 18-19, 25-26 and 2 p.m. Oct. 20 and 27 in the Performance Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children under 13.

Directed by Pacer Harp, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum takes comedy back to its origins in ancient Rome. Pseudolus is a Roman slave who will do almost anything to gain his freedom. The fun begins when Pseudolus is left in charge of his master’s young son, Hero, who has fallen madly in love with a beautiful courtesan, Philia. Pseudolus is promised his freedom if he can convince Philia to marry Hero and the laugh-fest begins.

With its unforgettable zany characters, a hysterical, perfectly constructed book by Larry Gelbart (MASH and City Of Angels) and Burt Shevelove, and witty Stephen Sondheim songs, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum has long been recognized as one of Broadway’s funniest musical comedies.

Pseudolus (Joe Leavitt) adds something special to Senex’ (Carey Thompson) drink in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

“Forum combines all the best in 2,000 years of comedy,” says Harp, managing director of the Gaslight Dinner Theatre. “With elements from early Roman playwrights to vaudeville to the classic humor Gelbart brought to MASH, this show has had people laughing since it opened in 1962 and ran for almost 1,000 performances.”

Musical director for the show is Harvey Earls, director of Piano at The Renaissance Center who also worked on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Nunsense. Briana Dishong is stage manager and Caley Crisp of the center’s Multimedia Department will be the choreographer.

Joe Leavitt of Spring Hill reprises his role as Pseudolus, which he played for the Roxy Theatre in Clarksville. Leavitt describes Pseudolus as “the ultimate clown.” Leavitt previously appeared in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of Bar-B-Q for 2 and Last of the Red-Hot Lovers, the Renaissance Players’ production of Godspell and Rep Co. shows such as The Glass Menagerie and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Outside of The Renaissance Center Leavitt has appeared in Children of Eden, Peter Pan, Sweeney Todd, Guys and Dolls and Tennessee Darlings.

Alex Syler of Clarksville plays the young Hero. A recent graduate of Austin Peay State University, Syler has appeared in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Sylvia and Rep Co. shows And Then They Came for Me and Blanca Flor. While at APSU he was seen in Honk!, She Loves Me, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Much Ado About Nothing, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Toby Show. He appeared in several short films, including Caley’s Friend and the self-produced The Guardian.

Friesia Schuil of Bellevue appears as Philia. “I am a Stephen Sondheim freak,” Schuil says of her decision to appear in the play. A Nashville native, Schuil has a Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and her recent appearances include West Side Story, No, No Nanette and Princess Ida. She has performed with the UT Opera, Knoxville Opera, Clarence Brown Theatre and Act One.

“Friesia may be the best voice that has appeared on The Renaissance Center stage,” says Harp.

Greg Heasley of Burns is Hysterium, a slave to Domina. “Doing shows here is fun and very professional,” says Heasley, who appeared as Levi in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he was actively involved both on and off stage at the Apple Hill Playhouse and New Kingston Civic Theatre. He is a photographer by trade, specializing in outdoor/nature and wedding photography.

Domina is played by Ramy Bakke of Fairview, who says she wanted to be in the play “to make people laugh and to be a part of infectious smiles. Domina is the loyal, in-charge wife of Senex who finds that she stills loves her cavorting husband.” A vocal scholarship winner from Seattle Pacific University, this is Bakke’s first appearance at The Renaissance Center. She is a singer/songwriter who has performed at various venues across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. She has previously appeared in The Music Man, Christ in the Concrete City, Hotel Internationale and Elijah.

White Bluff’s Jon Kopischke is Marcus Lycus, a seller of women. “He is a very conniving and greedy man,” Kopischke says. “He would sell his own mother for the right price.” Kopischke has appeared at The Renaissance Center in South Pacific, Tommy and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Carey Thompson returns to the stage to portray Senex. Thompson, an assistant district attorney with the 23rd Judicial District, appeared in Harvey as Judge Gaffney. “I had a ball in Harvey and wanted to do a musical,” Thompson says. “This looked like such fun I had to give it a try.” Thompson describes Senex as “a dirty, old, hen-pecked man beyond his middle-age crisis.”

The rest of the cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum includes Heather Funderburg (Tintinabula) of Leiper’s Fork, Beth Burch (Panacea) of Bellevue (previously appearing in Dearly Departed, The Odd Couple, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Harvey), Jennifer Ward of Spring Hill and Amanda Kopischke of White Bluff (Gemini, a matched pair), Marjorie Lauren (Vibrata) of Nashville, Sandra Harris (Gymnasia) of Bellevue (previously appearing in Godspell, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Christmas Carol, R3 and as Luna Divynne on Dark Encounters Investigated), Mel Romine (Erronius) of Dickson (previously appearing in South Pacific, A Christmas Carol and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and David Arnold (Miles Gloriosus) of Nashville (previously in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat).

Playing the Proteans are Matt Romine of Dickson, Tony Moran of Brentwood (previously in The Odd Couple), and twins David and Bryan Quint of Nashville.

Other cast members include Ty Bissell of Nashville (previously in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Miki Goodman of Dickson, Erin Kilian of Dickson, Cynthia Lindsey of Charlotte, Sarah Schermbeck and Emily Stewart of Dickson (previously in Grease!).

“We’ve put together a wonderful cast that includes many faces you will recognize from past shows, but also brings some new people to our stage,” said Harp. “This is a show you surely won’t want to miss.”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs weekends Oct. 18-27. For more information, call The Renaissance Center at (615)740-5600. The Renaissance Center is an arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

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