Opinion | Why the Global South are falling out of love with the West and the liberal order
- Shifting balances of power, the West’s intransigence over Ukraine and the poor outcomes of its foreign interventions have left the Rest wary
- The South will not take sides with the East or West without making sure their interests are looked after. The romance with the West is well and truly over
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a 1962 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical based on a Roman farce by Plautus (254–184 BC), that became a 1966 musical film. It’s about Roman slave Pseudolus who tried to win his freedom by persuading his owner Hero to win the heart of Philia next door, who is promised to soldier Miles Gloriosus.
The show became a success when Sondheim changed the opening song, Love is in the Air, to Comedy Tonight, showing how romance is better sold as comedy.
The musical enjoyed various reruns, including a Cantonese version in Hong Kong in 2009.
Gracious guests do not go to parties openly condemning other guests. The Rest are coming to realise that after the West disposes of its identified existential threats, they will be probably be next.