A comedy written in 405 b.c. by Aristophanes and now adapted by Burt Shevelove, and even more freely adapted by Nathan Lane, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is coming to Southwark.
Can art save civilization? Let’s find out! Shaken by a divided and despairing political climate (sound familiar?), Dionysos and trusty sidekick Xanthias take a leap of faith – straight into Hades. Their mission? Find a cure for an ailing world. But when they reach the River Styx, they encounter Dionysos’ worst nightmare… frogs. Not your average pond dwellers, these amphibians are stubborn beings who resist change and are determined for the status quo to remain the same (sound familiar?) Will our dynamic duo outsmart these swampy naysayers and hop toward humanity’s salvation? Or will they get bogged down in their muddy resistance? This is an ancient tale retold as a laugh-a-minute musical comedy. From the writing team behind ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ and Broadway legend Nathan Lane, ‘The Frogs’ promises a toad-ally unforgettable journey.
The first production of The Frogs was written and directed by Burt Shevelove in 1971, while he was a graduate student at Yale University. It was staged in the swimming pool in the Payne Whitney Gymnasium with the Frogs, played by members of the Yale swimming team, swimming around the boat. The ensemble included then Yale students Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and playwright Christopher Durang.
Kevin McHale is Xanthias. Kevin is best known in the UK for playing Artie Abrams on the TV series Glee. Dan Buckley is Dionysos. He was Rowan in Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical. Joaquin Pedro Valde is Herakles. Carl Patrick ) is Charon. Bart Lambertis Shakespeare. Martha Pothen is Shaw. Alison Driver is Ariadne, with Evonnee Bentley-Holder and Milo McCarthy as Ensemble.
Georgie Rankcom directs.
Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD from 23rd May – 28th June. Booking and full details: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
