Geoffrey Rush to Star in Australian Revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Tony Award winner Geoffrey Rush is set to star in an Australian revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Directed by Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), the limited engagement will run for 12 weeks with performances beginning October 20 at Melbourne's Her Majesty’s Theatre. Opening night is set for October 27. No further casting has been announced.

Featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum follows scheming slave Pseudolus (Rush), as he attempts to win his freedom from the henpecked Senex and his overbearing wife Domina. When he learns his master’s dim-witted son has fallen in love with a virgin courtesan, he seizes the opportunity to secure his release. The musical first opened on Broadway on May 8, 1962 at the Alvin Theatre. The show earned six Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Actor for original star Zero Mostel. 

Rush received a Tony Award for his Broadway debut in Exit the King in 2009. His many film credits include Shine, The King's Speech, Munich, Intolerable Cruelty, Finding Nemo, The Pirates of the Carribean series, Shakespeare in Love, Frida, Quills, The Banger Sisters, Elizabeth and Mystery Men.