Overture / Comedy Tonight – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (with Federico Tedeschi)

Show Notes

Federico Tedeschi returns to the podcast to discuss Plautus, Roman drama, and a little farce. The new season is here! A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is the first Broadway musical that Stephen Sondheim was (finally) able to write both lyrics and music. Comedy Tonight is the most famous song from the show. On this episode Federico and Kyle discuss whether it holds up, if it's actually funny, and the differences between the original and the revivals. 

Federico's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federicotedeschi1/

Nathan Lane (with the help of Bernadette Peters and Liza Minnelli) opens up the 50th Annual Tony Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orl8Ga2w9u4

You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat, by going here: https://amzn.to/2LB9ZJo

We are using three productions to frame our discussion of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
The original Broadway cast starring Zero Mostel (1962)
You can listen to it on Apple Music: https://apple.co/2YY5IWG
Or get it via digital download on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2I374dQ
Or listen to it on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2D02Qzx

The movie version starring Zero Mostel (1966)
You can listen to it on Apple Music: https://apple.co/2Idz8uh
Or get it via digital download on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2D1K7DE

The Broadway revival starring Nathan Lane (1996)
You're only able to purchase the physical copy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KfnJwJ

Our sponsors this week are:
1.  Alberta Podcast Network - https://www.albertapodcastnetwork.com - the Network promotes and supports Alberta made podcasts, and connects their audiences with Alberta-based businesses.
Check out The Mess Hall podcast here: http://messhallpodcast.podbean.com - a weekly podcast where Avery Cochrane has a chat with interesting personalities including comedians, foodies, fellow podcasters and a ton of others!
2. Park Power  - https://parkpower.ca - We believe in building our community through community involvment.

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Putting It Together is a proud member of The Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. Here's their link again: https://www.albertapodcastnetwork.com

Recorded at Media Lab YYC. Media Lab is a public production studio located in downtown Calgary, Alberta. They help you tell your story. They do this by assisting in the creation of videos and podcasts. Find more information at: http://medialabyyc.com

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What is Putting It Together?

This is a podcast about Stephen Sondheim's entire body of work show by show and song by song. Each week Kyle Marshall invites an expert to discuss a Sondheim song in-depth. Together they discover the humour, how the songs inform character, and any hidden meanings. Most importantly they try to understand the man behind the music, the Shakespeare of our time, as best they can.