Ally Mazza and Jake Fritz are feeling nostalgic. As seniors, this is their last fall musical.

  “It hasn’t really hit me yet that it’s almost over, but it’s definitely a really weird feeling,” Mazza said.

  This year’s fall production is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart and composed by Stephen Sondheim. The show follows a young slave named Pseudolus, played by sophomore Nick Vitale, as he tries to get a young courtesan named Philia, played by Mazza, to fall in love with his master, played by Fritz, in exchange for his freedom.

  The show is a comedy set in ancient Rome, and putting on a satirical musical has its challenges. “It’s difficult to keep the comedy consistent,” said Fritz, “The jokes are old to us, but they’re new to the audience, so keeping that same energy every time is one of the most important and most difficult parts.”

  Vitale agrees. “There’s jokes throughout the whole thing, and they all have to land,” he said. The cast has had to get their chemistry right in order to deliver the jokes perfectly, but Vitale is confident that the show is running smoothly.

  At a preview of the show on November 20, the student audience laughed away at the witty quips, a relieving reaction for the hardworking cast.

  The cast agrees that, although it’s been challenging, it’s still as fun as ever. Walking into the theater on the first day of dress rehearsal is hectic as expected, with costumes in garment bags strewn over chairs and Dr. Molotsky, the show’s director, giving orders. But the room is filled with chatter and laughter, as the cast prepares to run their two-hour production.

  “This show is so funny and all of my friends are here, so it’s been really fun,” said Mazza, who has been involved in theater since seventh grade.

  And though Mazza and Fritz are preparing to say farewell to Eastern’s theater club, it seems they are ready to pass the torch, and Vitale is eager to accept.

  “I love the theater club and all the people and Dr. Molotsky and Curt [Foy],” said Vitale.

  A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ran from November 21-23.