The national tour of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, starring Joanne Worley as Pseudolus, will begin its journey on Oct. 11 in Bloomsburg, PA. Worley replaced Rip Taylor, who was originally announced as the tour's star. Michael Vergoff of Big League Theatricals, which is handling the tour, said that Taylor had opted for another offer a few months ago. The producers then decided to follow the example of the gender-bending casting of Whoopi Goldberg in the Broadway production and go with "Laugh In" veteran Worley.
Worley will tour with husband and fellow thespian Roger Perry, who will play Senex. No further casting has been announced. Rehearsals begin in two months and the tour will commence in September.
The Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum closed Jan. 4, 1998 after 36 previews and 715 performances at the St. James Theatre. The revival, which saw Nathan Lane's return to Broadway, went on to star Goldberg, David Alan Grier and Bob Amaral. Jerry Zaks directed.
Following are the tour dates through the end of the year. All dates are subject to change.
Oct. 11, 1998: Bloomsburg, PA
Oct. 13: Erie, PA
Oct 14-15: Penn State University, State College, PA
Oct. 16: Schenectady, NY
Oct. 17: New London, CT
Oct. 18: Binghamton, NY
Oct. 20-21: Utica, NY
Oct. 22: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Oct. 23: Akron, OH
Oct. 24: Tiffin, OH
Oct. 25: West Lafayette, IN
Oct. 27-Nov. 1: East Lansing, MI
Nov. 4-5: Elkhart, IN
Nov. 6-8: Kalamazoo, MI
Nov. 10: Owensboro, KY
Nov. 12-13: Clinton Township, MI
Nov. 14: Sandusky, OH
Nov. 15: Benton Harbor, MI
Nov. 17-22: Green Bay, WI
Nov. 23: Whitewater, WI
Nov. 27-29: Fayetteville, AR
Dec. 1: Baton Rouge, LA
Dec. 2: Cleveland, MS
Dec. 3: Mobile, AL
Dec. 4-6: Birmingham, AL
Dec. 8: Roanoke, VA
Dec. 10: Savannah, GA
Dec. 11: Charleston, SC
Dec. 12-13: Myrtle Beach, SC
