Throughout the history of comedy, improvisation has mostly been associated with comedy troupes and stand-up comedy acts.

But as times change, so do comedy rules.

Throughout the past four months, the Broadway touring company of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” has sought to incorporate improvisation into the structure of the musical.

Robin O’Leary, who plays “Domina,” said most of the improvisation is led by comedy great Rip Taylor, who plays Pseudolus.

“[Taylor] personalized [the role] to himself,” O’Leary said. “He has a certain type of humor, and [the cast] has sort of tailor-made the show to fit his humor.”

O’Leary said in order to create specialized improvisation, Taylor does his homework before every show.

“[Taylor] finds out information about towns and streets nearby and sticks them into the script,” O’Leary said. “He gets it right every time.”

Naturally, this type of unpredictable improvisation is hilarious to all who observe — sometimes even the cast members.

When things get slightly out of control on stage, O’Leary said the cast simply takes a break from the action to compose themselves.

“Sometimes we have to look straight at the audience and say, ‘bear with us for a moment folks.'”

For the most part, the cast sticks closely to the written script. O’Leary said in comedy, timing is very important. If a certain line isn’t said at the right time, someone else might miss their cue.

Also, the cast tries not to improvise too out of context that they deter from the bizarre plot.

The action in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” takes place in ancient Rome during the time when “ruins” were new and real chariots roamed the countryside.

Pseudolus (Taylor) is a slave who wants his freedom and will do anything to get it. He works for Domina (O’Leary), who is known for her dominating spirit.

As the story progresses, Domina’s son, Hero (Todd Lawson) falls in love with a beautiful young woman named Philia (Julie Ann Emery).

Hero asks Pseudolus to get Philia for him and promises in return to grant Pseudolus his freedom. While Pseudolus works to meet this request, he falls into many sexual temptations and other obstacles that provide for a hysterical plot.

A musical that has been able to revive itself three different times on Broadway has to have a broad appeal. O’Leary said she thinks the musical has remained so popular since its 1962 premier because of its all-encompassing vaudeville-style humor.

“It’s a very simple humor everyone can relate to,” O’Leary said. “The jokes are just very well written and timeless. There’s nothing to get. It’s just going to make you giggle.”

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” will play at Stephens Auditorium Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17, $14 and $10 for Iowa State students and can be purchased at Ticketmaster locations.