BROWNWOOD – October 10, 2012 – Howard Payne University will begin its theatrical season with the comedic musical, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Performances correspond with HPU’s Homecoming 2012 celebration, Thursday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 14.
Dr. Nancy Jo Humfeld, chair of HPU’s theatre department and director/choreographer of the play, stated that “Forum” is one of her all-time favorite musicals.
“The songs are delightful and the story keeps you laughing all the way to the end,” she said.
“Forum” opened on Broadway in May of 1962. Humfeld says the musical is inspired by plays of the second century B.C. Roman playwright Plautus and is “gloriously free of serious moments.”
“The show’s action, dialogue, songs and dances are the essence of farce,” she said. “The single goal is to keep the audience laughing deliriously from the first note of the opening number, ‘Comedy Tonight,’ until the final curtain comes down.”
The original production was directed by George Abbott with choreography and musical staging by Jack Cole. Produced by Harold Prince, it ran for 964 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1963.
HPU cast members include Taylor Crow of Brownwood; Katie Dobson, a junior from Garland; Timmy Emery, a freshman from Brady; Timothy Hardy, a junior from Corpus Christi; Tucker Hull, a junior from Brownwood; Hannah Jansen, a sophomore from Erie, Colo.; Lindsey Jones, a junior from Georgetown; Lawrence Martinez, a freshman from Austin; Ben Mohundro, a freshman from Frisco; Elizabeth Oliver, a freshman from Snyder; Ben Palmer, a junior from Van; Judi Parten, a junior from Goldthwaite; Chris Phelps, a senior from Brownwood; Tiffani Peeples, a freshman from Eastland; Jared Russell, a sophomore from Hillsboro; Alexandra Taliaferro, a sophomore from Haslet; Dorie Walton, a freshman from Lolita; and Jarrod White, a junior from Ben Wheeler.
Performances will be Thursday through Saturday, October 11-13, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 14, at 2:30 p.m. in HPU’s Mims Auditorium. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and children. Reservations may be made through the box office at (325) 649-8516 or tickets may be purchased at the door. For more information, contact HPU’s School of Music and Fine Arts at (325) 649-8500.
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Photo cutline: HPU students rehearse a scene from the university’s Homecoming performance, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”