By Karen Gavis/se news editor

Celebrating the musical drama’s 50th year, SE Campus will perform A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum April 19-21 in the Roberson Theatre.

“It is very well casted, and I think it is going to be a good show, honestly,” SE drama student Clery Moss said.

A virgin dwelling in a house of courtesans, Philia is played by SE drama student Theresa Carter. Philia catches the eye and captures the heart of Hero, played by SE drama student Kevin Acosta.

Fun and naïve, all Philia really has to do is look lovely, Carter said.

It is a fairly easy role “because she is not all that deep,” she said. “She’s so innocent. I’m very fond of her.”

Carter said she hopes to become a theater arts teacher and has performed in the SE dramas Masque of Beauty and the Beast and A Christmas Carol. However, this is her first lead role.

Acosta sings one solo, two duets and a trio in the musical. He said he was afforded some leverage during the audition because he had sung one of the songs in front of an audience before. Hero is the role he desired to play.

“He’s like fully in love for the first time,” he said. “I do play across from a very gorgeous girl, yes.”

Sensing that his master is smitten, Hero’s slave, Pseudolus, devises a plan that will help his master win Philia and ensure his own freedom. But he encounters difficulty because Philia has already been sold by her manager, Carter said.

SE drama/dance student Kevin Boateng plays the part of another slave, Hysterium. Boateng said he is excited to have the part because he has not performed any Greek or Roman-type plays.

“And besides, I get to wear a dress on stage,” he said. “What’s better than that? How often do guys get to wear dresses onstage with a wig?”

Boateng said Hysterium is an accomplice to Pseudolus in the drama, helping him with his plot to become free.

No stranger to a dance floor, Boateng performs only one dance number in the musical, which is a little different from what he is used to. For him, performing is always fun. Plus, it gives him an opportunity to expand his talent and build upon his résumé.

Moss plays a conniving Pseudolus, whose owner experiences love at first sight.

“The whole plan is to try to win my freedom,” he said. “But I have to figure out how to get her [Philia] for him [Hero].”

Moss describes the musical as an intricate comedy, and his favorite scene is when he tricks the captain into thinking his bride is dead.

“The comedy in that scene is just the funniest,” he said.

It is also one of Brandon McCollins’ favorite scenes because he gets to be crazy with his wailing, bursting out of the house and falling upon his soldier, he said. McCollins plays Gloriosus, a captain and warrior.

“I get to be all overdramatic with it,” he said. “They have to hold me up. It is so fun.”

McCollins said he has an effeminate voice and enjoys the extreme change the acting role has been for him.

“I have to be that ‘grrr’ guy onstage,” he said. “I feel the character has been a challenge.”

Besides his crying scene in the musical, McCollins really enjoys the song A Dirty Old Man that a woman sings to her closest friend about the suspected infidelity of her husband.

“I love how it sounds,” he said. “It is a really beautiful song.”

Rated for mature audiences, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is directed by associate professor of speech and drama Pert Durapau. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is free for TCC students, faculty and staff, $6 for general admission and $3 for seniors and other students. For reservations, call 817-515-3599.