Based on the plays of Plautus, this musical with a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart reveled in "low comedy" without playing off anachronisms. The plot concerned a young hero, named Hero, who has fallen in love with a courtesan from next door. He promises freedom to his slave, Pseudolus, in exchange for the girl. Out of the ordinary in that the songs' function was not to advance plot or illuminate character, but rather to give the audience a vaudevillian break from the breakneck pace of the farcical plot. Includes the songs "Comedy Tonight," and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid."
Show Data
- Original Broadway Production Info
- Cast
- Musical Numbers
- Cut Songs
- Broadway Revival (1) Info
- Cast
- Added Songs
- Cut Songs
- Broadway Revival (2) Info
- Cast
- Add Songs
- Cut Songs
- Film Info
- Cast
- Recordings
- Awards
- Production Rights
Original Broadway Production Info:
| Opened | May 8, 1962 |
| Closed | August 29, 1964 |
| Ran | 964 Performances |
| Theatre | Alvin Theatre |
| Music | Stephen Sondheim |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | Burt Shevelove |
| Larry Gelbart | |
| based on the plays of Plautus | |
| Producer | Harold Prince |
| Director | George Abbott |
| Choreography | Jack Cole |
| Set Designer | Tony Walton |
| Costumes Designer | Tony Walton |
| Lighting Designer | Jean Rosenthal |
| Dance Music Arranger | Hal Schaefer |
| Musical Direction | Harold Hastings |
| Orchestrations | Irwin Kostal |
| Sid Ramin |
| Prologus | Zero Mostel |
| The Proteans | Eddie Phillips |
| George Reeder | |
| David Evans | |
| Senex | David Burns |
| Domina | Ruth Kobart |
| Hero | Brian Davies |
| Hysterium | Jack Gilford |
| Marcus Lycus | John Carradine |
| Pseudolus | Zero Mostel |
| Tintinnabula | Roberta Keith |
| Panacea | Lucienne Bridou |
| The Geminae | Elisa James |
| Judy Alexander | |
| Vibrata | Myrna White |
| Gymnasia | Gloria Kristy |
| Philia | Preshy Marker |
| Erronius | Raymond Walburn |
| Miles Gloriosus | Ronald Holgate |
Musical Numbers:
Cut Songs:
| Opened | April 4, 1972 |
| Closed | August 12, 1972 |
| Ran | 156 Performances |
| Theatre | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre |
| Music | Stephen Sondheim |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | Burt Shevelove |
| Larry Gelbart | |
| based on the plays of Plautus | |
| Producer | Larry Blyden |
| Director | Burt Shevelove |
| Choreographer | Ralph Beaumont |
| Set Designer | James Trittipo |
| Costumes Designer | Noel Taylor |
| Lighting Designer | H.R. Poindexter |
| Dance Music Arranger | Hal Schaefer |
| Musical Direction | Milton Rosenstock |
| Vocal Direction | Milton Rosenstock |
| Orchestrations | Irwin Kostal |
| Prologus | Phil Silvers |
| The Proteans | Joe Ross |
| Bill Starr | |
| Chad Block | |
| Senex | Mort Marshall |
| Domina | Lizabeth Pritchett |
| Hero | John Hansen |
| Hysterium | Larry Blyden |
| Marcus Lycus | Carl Ballantine |
| Pseudolus | Phil Silvers |
| Tintinnabula | Lauren Lucas |
| Panacea | Barbara Brown |
| The Geminae | Kerry McGrath |
| Trudy Carson | |
| Vibrata | Keita Keita |
| Gymnasia | Lisa Clarson |
| Philia | Pamela Hall |
| Erronius | Reginald Owen |
| Miles Gloriosus | Carl Ballantine |
Broadway Revival (1) Added Songs:
Broadway Revival (1) Cut Songs:
| Opened | April 18, 1996 |
| Closed | January 4, 1998 |
| Theatre | St. James Theatre |
| Ran | 715 Performances |
| Music | Stephen Sondheim |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | Burt Shevelove |
| Larry Gelbart | |
| based on the plays of Plautus | |
| Producer | Jujamcyn Theaters |
| Scott Rudin | |
| The Viertel-Baruch-Frankel Group | |
| Roger Berlind | |
| Associate Producer | Perseus Prod. LLC |
| Director | Jerry Zaks |
| Asst. Director | BT McNicholl |
| Choreographer | Rob Marshall |
| Dance Captain | Michael Arnold |
| Asst. Choreographer | Sarah Miles |
| Set Designer | Tony Walton |
| Costumes Designer | Tony Walton |
| Hair Designer | David H. Lawrence |
| Lighting Designer | Paul Gallo |
| Sound Designer | Tony Meola |
| Dance Music Arranger | David Chase |
| Musical Direction | Edward Strauss |
| Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick |
| Casting | Johnson-Liff Associates |
| Production Manager | Peter Fulbright |
| Production Stage Manager | Arthur Gaffin |
| General Manager | Dodger Productions |
| Prologus | Nathan Lane |
| The Proteans | Brad Aspel |
| Cory English | |
| Ray Roderick | |
| Senex | Lewis J. Stadlen |
| Domina | Mary Testa |
| Hero | Jim Staneck |
| Hysterium | Mark Lynn-Baker |
| Marcus Lycus | Ernie Sabella |
| Pseudolus | Nathan Lane |
| Tintinnabula | Pamela Everett |
| Panacea | Leigh Zimmerman |
| The Geminae | Susan Misner |
| Lori Wener | |
| Vibrata | Mary Ann Lamb |
| Gymnasia | Stephanie Pope |
| Philia | Jessica Boevers |
| Erronius | William Duell |
| Miles Gloriosus | Cris Groendaal |
| Standby Pseudolus | Bob Amaral |
| Understudies | Cory English |
| Kevin Kraft | |
| Jennifer Rosin | |
| MacIntyre Dixon | |
| Kenneth Kantor | |
| Ruth Gottschall | |
| Bob Amaral | |
| Patrick Garner | |
| Leigh Zimmerman | |
| Swings | Michael Arnold |
| Kevin Kraft | |
| Amiee Turner | |
| Kristin Willis |
Broadway Revival (2) Add Songs:
| Release Date | October, 1966 |
| Released by | Universal Artists |
| Screenwriters | Melvin Frank |
| Michael Pertwee | |
| Cinematographer | Nicolas Roeg |
| Music | Stephen Sondheim |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Incidental Music | Ken Thorpe |
| Producer | Melvin Frank |
| Director | Richard Lester |
| Production Designer | Tony Walton |
| Costume Designer | Tony Walton |
| Editor | John Victor-Smith |
| Assembly Editor | Richard Bryan |
| Sound Editors | William Butler |
| Don Challis | |
| Art Director | Syd Cain |
| Make-Up | Trevor Crole-Rees |
| Jose Marma Sanchez | |
| Production Manager | Miguel Gil |
| Sound | Leslie Hammond | Gerry Humphreys |
| Hair Stylist | Bernadette Ibbetson |
| Assistant Director | Jose Lopez Rodero |
| Special Effects | Cliff Richardson |
| Music Editor | Barry Vince |
| Pseudolus | Zero Mostel |
| Marcus Lycus | Phil Silvers |
| Erronius | Buster Keaton |
| Hysterium | Jack Gilford |
| Hero | Michael Crawford |
| Philia | Annette Andre |
| Domina | Patricia Jessel |
| Senex | Michael Hordern |
| Gymnasia | Inga Neilsen |
| Miles Gloriosus | Leon Green |
| Vibrata | Myrna White |
| Panacea | Lucienne Bridou |
| Tintinnabula | Helen Funai |
| The Geminae | Jennifer Baker |
| Susan Baker | |
| Fertilla | Janet Webb |
| High Priestess | Pamela Brown |
| Guard | Alfie Bass |
| Gladiator Instructor | Roy Kinnear |
| Domina's Mother | Beatrix Lehmann |
| Crassus | Jon Pertwee |
| Roman Soldiers | Frank Thornton |
| Peter Butterworth | |
| John Bennett | |
| Andrew Faulds |
1963 Tony Awards - 7 nominations, 6 wins:
1966 Academy Award - 1 nomination, 1 win:
1972 Tony Awards - 3 nominations, 2 wins:
1996 Tony Awards - 4 nominations, 1 win:
1996 Outer Critics Circle Award
1996 Drama Desk Award
Recordings:
(Angel, ZDM 0777 7 64770 2 2)
(EMI, 7243 5 65070 2 9)
(United Artists Records, UAS 5144)
(Angel)
Awards:
Secondary performance rights handled by Music Theatre International
Discuss this show in Sondheim.com's
community forum: Finishing the Chat... ››
“Assassins is about how society interprets the American Dream, marginalizes outsiders and rewrites and sanitizes its collective history. "Something Just Broke" is a major distraction and plays like an afterthought, shoe horned simply to appease. The song breaks the dramatic fluidity and obstructs the overall pacing and climactic arc which derails the very intent and momentum that makes this work so compelling...”
- Mark Bakalor
“I found [the Sondheim Celebration's Company] to be completely delightful. Almost all of the numbers excited and energized me, and most of the scenes were about as pitch-perfect as you can get. I just sat there with a big smile on my face the whole show.
Which is not to say that it is perfect...”
- popcornonmyknees
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