A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Three houses stood at the center of the design for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: the home of Senex, the lively brothel of Lycus, and the worn, modest dwelling of Erronius. Each façade was rendered in a heightened, cartoon-like style that matched the musical’s farcical humor while still carrying echoes of ancient Rome.

To strike that balance, the design drew from Greco-Roman pottery and decorative motifs. Columns and carved details appeared throughout the architecture, treated with just enough exaggeration to feel witty without tipping into parody. The set needed clarity and flexibility, anchoring comic situations while transforming easily as the farce unfolded.

Each house held its own personality: Senex’s home suggested domestic order ready to unravel; Lycus’s façade leaned into flamboyance and theatricality; Erronius’s dwelling offered contrast in its simplicity. Together, the trio formed a visual shorthand for tangled relationships and chaotic schemes.

What tied the design together was its overall sense of exaggeration, architectural features pushed just far enough to feel humorous while preserving the sophistication of a classical world. That blend of whimsy and structure created a stage where disguises, comic chases, and mistaken identities felt perfectly at home.