The first five lines of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" tell everything. "Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone - a comedy tonight; something appealing, something appalling, something for everyone - a comedy tonight."
Set back in the early days of Rome, with slaves, soldiers, and sly old men, "Forum" is a fast-paced musical-comedy about a conniving slave who will do anything to achieve his freedom, including promising to get a certain fair young virgin to marry his master. The problem is, she has been sold to a very glorious soldier, who comes to claim her. Elopement doesn't work, the master's father thinks the virgin likes him, and his wife knows he is a dirty old man and is up to no good. They try to trick the soldier with a replacement virgin (another male slave). The seller of the contract panics, the wife panics, everyone panics, and pandemonium ensues.