Break Out Your Toga! FORUM Returns to Burbank Next Month

The Tony Award-winning musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum hits the Garry Marshall Theatre stage, following Ovation Recommended play Master Class. The second production in the theatre's Inaugural Season will star Paul C. Vogt (Hairspray Live!, MADtv, Broadway's Hairspray and Chicago) as 'Pseudolus' and will be directed by Jersey Boys alumnus and Artistic Director Joseph Leo Bwarie. This fresh take on the burlesque bonanza will play a limited run, November 17 through December 31 (with a special New Year's Eve twilight performance bubbling with champagne and streamers).

Tickets, starting at $45, are available October 16 by calling (818) 955-8101 or visiting garrymarshalltheatre.org.

Joining Vogt are Candi Milo, Kevin Symons, Nicole Kaplan, Michael Thomas Grant, Ethan Cohn, E.K. Dagenfield, Clayton Snyder, Nicci Claspell, Shamicka Jones and Liz Bustle in Broadway's big, fat Roman musical comedy that pays tribute to the original funny man himself, Plautus. When a boisterous Pseudolus (the 'P' is silent) wishes to gain his freedom, ancient Rome is turned on its ear in this risqué romp of mistaken identity and twisting plots, where secrets hide behind every toga.

Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, music and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning Stephen Sondheim and originally produced on Broadway by Harold S. Prince, the creative team includes: Christine Lakin (Assistant Director), Brent Crayon (Musical Director), Eric Heinly (Music Coordinator) and Becca Sweitzer (Choreographer) with Scenic Design by Fred Kinney, Costume Design by Jessica Hansen. Sound Design by Robert A. Ramirez, Lighting Design by Francois-Pierre Couture, Wig/Hair Design by Jessica Mills, Casting by Jami Rudofsky.

Joining the team are Brooke Engen (Assistant Choreographer), Meghan Ims (Assistant Costume Designer) and Marcedes Clanton (Production Stage Manger).

ABOUT Paul Vogt

Paul Vogt is thrilled to be in the inaugural season of the new Garry Marshall Theatre and is honored to consider the late great director a friend and mentor. Some of his collaborations with Garry include: Valentine's Day, Raising Helen, Mother's Day and in Garry's production of LA Opera's The Grand Duchess Of Gerolstein. At the former Falcon Theatre he starred in Happy Days: A New Musical and in the West Coast premiere of Laurel and Hardy, as "Oliver Hardy."

Vogt is most recognizable from MADtv, "Hairspray, live!" (Mr. Spritzer) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, but is no stranger to the live stage, making his Broadway debut starring as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray followed by multiple engagements in Broadway's Chicago, as Mr. Cellophane 'Amos Hart.' Across North America, Vogt has starred in Oliver! (Arena Stage, Washington DC), the world-premiere musical Minsky's (Ahmanson, Los Angles), the world-premiere musical Idaho! (New York and Las Vegas) and is the only man to be approved by Disney Theatrical to play "Ursula" in Disney's The Little Mermaid (The Muny, St. Louis). He is award winning for his work as "Sam Byck" in Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, and in Greater Tuna. He garnered critical acclaim for Below the Belt; Sylvia; Losing Weight; Coriolanus at Orlando Shakespeare Festival; and The Fantasticks at Orlando Opera. In 2011, he starred as 'Pseudolus' at the Papermill Playhouse. TV credits include: NBC's The Rerun Show, MADtv, Chicago Hope, Arrested Development, Raising Hope, Reno 911, Disney Channel's Pack of Wolves, Barry Sonnenfeld's ABC series Maximum Bob, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, and originated the role of "Mr. Donzit" on Hannah Montana. This fall, Vogt will be unrecognizable as the Captain of an alien ship on Seth MacFarlane's "The Orville" on Fox.

ABOUT Joseph Leo Bwarie

Joseph Leo Bwarie is a Sherman Oaks native and a recording artist popular on XM Seriously Sinatra. Bwarie is widely known for his record-breaking turn as Frankie Valli in the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys with over 2,000 performances and nearly nine years as the falsetto-voiced pop icon (Las Vegas, 1st National Tour and on Broadway). He has two solo albums, Nothin' But Love, which marked his first collaboration with legendary record producer/arranger Charles Calello, and The Good Stuff, which features Tito Puente, Jr. and Paulinho Da Costa. He is also an ambassador for the rare-cancer fighting charity Cycle For Survival.

Bwarie's professional career began at the age of nine, when he first appeared on the television series: Highway to Heaven, Mama's Family, and The Young And The Restless. Most recently at the former Falcon Theatre, Bwarie directed and starred in Troubadour Theater Company's Little Drummer Bowie. For years he served as the Director of Children's Theatre Development for the Falcon and wrote 8 original family plays and musicals with Garry's daughter Lori Marshall, including The Enchanted Nightingale making a return to the Garry Marshall Theatre stage in 2018. Bwarie was part of the world-premiere of Happy Days: A New Musical as 'Chachi' opposite Joey McIntyre's 'Fonzie' and was associate director alongside Garry Marshall for the world-premiere of the play Billy & Ray and the former Falcon Theatre and its New York premiere at the Vineyard Theatre.

ABOUT THE Garry Marshall THEATRE

Garry Marshall Theatre is a nonprofit organization providing innovative performances, educational opportunities, and storytelling activities for all ages, year-round. Located in the heart of Burbank and Toluca Lake's entertainment industry, the critically acclaimed and Ovation Award-winning 130-seat theatre was founded in 1997 as the Falcon Theatre by Hollywood legend Garry Marshall. Reestablished as the Garry Marshall Theatre in 2017, the theatre continues to cultivate new artists and experiences that spark ideas and build community.

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