Stephen Sondheim‘s ‘big hits’ in the musical theatre arena are rightly lauded by audiences, but what of his lesser-known shows? Enter The Frogs, first produced in 1974 and radically reshaped in 2004.
Based, very loosely, on the play by Aristophanes, The Frogs concerns the attempts of the God of drama (and wine), Dionysos, entering the Underworld from a world in turmoil.
It’s a riotous and chaotic musical, presented here in the two act version adapted by Nathan Lane from the book by Burt Shevelove. Sondheim added new songs and the balance of low comedy and high drama expanded.
Director Georgie Rankcom has previously brought Anyone Can Whistle, another rare Sondheim, to the Southwark stage, and her flair, energy, and eye for the ridiculous.
Much has been made in publicity of Glee star Kevin McHale joining the cast as the slave Xanthias. It’s his UK stage debut, and he provides cheeky comic moments and pleasant vocals.
Some of his stage business was hidden from view on our side of the stage, but his warm personality was clearly popular.
Dan Buckley made a good Dionysos, his routine with tough brother Heracles (an amusing Jaoquin Pedro Valdes) reminiscent of La Cage Aux Folles – this is how a man walks and talks. He’s tender with Ariadne (Alison Driver) in their reunion and all-out fun.
The outstanding performance for me, though, was Carl Patrick, who played a weed-smoking Charon and his hissing twin brother underground. His timing is impeccable, and he is just hilarious.
The Frogs has had a chequered history. It is a show that requires enough intimacy to break the fourth wall while presenting itself like a traditional piece of Greek theatre.
Mask wearing, however, is confined to the scene where the boat to Hades is attacked by frogs ‘with rhythm’, who set up the complex and preposterous act 1 finale.
The songs range from the witty ‘Invocation & Instructions to the Audience’ and the poignant ‘Ariadne’ to the bouncy ‘I Love To Travel’ and touching setting of Shakespeare’s ‘Fear No More’.
The one-act version (happily recorded in 2001 by Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and others, alongside Sondheim’s musical for television, Evening Primrose), is funny and sharp. I’d be interested in seeing that revived.
In presenting this version, Rankcom has added a layer of crafty camp, enhanced this week by casting Victoria Scone (Drag Race UK) as an imperious and sharp Pluto: the actor changes each week during the run.
With lively choreography by Matt Nicholson for the ensemble (Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Milo McCarthy, Martha Driver, Bart Lambert) and an intellectual battle of words for Bernard Shaw (Driver) and William Shakespeare (Lambert), The Frogs is deeply entertaining fare.
The set and costumes by Libby Todd suggest water, ancient Greece, and a debauched dance floor. Sam Biondolillo’s lighting is colourful in its spots, glitter ball, and floods of colour.
Sound design by Joshua Robins and musical direction by Yshani Perinpanayagam allows the songs and incidental music to come through pin-sharp.
This production of The Frogs is far from a croak. Even the walk into the auditorium suggests a trip into a scene of slimy spawn and the depths of depravity.
I enjoyed it a lot. It may not be in the league of Follies and A Little Night Music, but in its message of building a better world, it retains its contemporary relevance and suggests that the influence of drama and theatre is as important as ever.
Four stars.
The Frogs are swimming at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 28 Jun with tickets here.
Image credit: Pamela Raith