Acclaimed as Broadway's greatest farce, it is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written.

Performances are scheduled for Feb. 25-28 and March 1 at 8 p.m. and March 2 at 2 p.m. in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The show has a hysterical, perfectly constructed book by Larry Gelbart (of M*A*S*H fame) and Burt Shevelove with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, one of Broadway's greatest contemporary composers.

The show originally appeared on Broadway on May 8, 1962, at the Alvin Theatre and played for a total of 964 performances. It starred Zero Mostel, John Carradine, Jack Gilford, David Burns, and Ronald Holgate. The 1966 film version starred Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Jack Gilford, Michael Crawford, and Buster Keaton.

This musical is definitely a crowd-pleaser, and University Performing Arts recommends purchasing tickets early to be assured of the performance of your choice. Tickets go on sale at the Performing Arts Box Office on Feb. 3, Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (573) 651-2265. MasterCard and Visa are accepted.