The Frogs (musical)

The Frogs is a musical "freely adapted" by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove from The Frogs, an Ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes. In the musical, Dionysus, despairing of the quality of living dramatists, travels to Hades to bring George Bernard Shaw back from the dead. William Shakespeare competes with Shaw for the title of best playwright, which he wins. Dionysus brings Shakespeare back to the world of the living in the hope that art can save civilization.

The Frogs
Theatrical poster for the 2004 Broadway production of The Frogs
MusicStephen Sondheim
LyricsStephen Sondheim
BookBurt Shevelove
Nathan Lane
BasisThe Frogs
by Aristophanes
Productions1974 Yale University
1988 Chicago
2004 Broadway
2007 Pittsburgh
2007 Truman College
2011 St. Petersburg, Florida
2015 Sydney
2017 West End

The musical was originally performed in Yale University's gymnasium's swimming pool in 1974.[1] Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and Christopher Durang all participated in the production's ensemble.[2] The show was produced on Broadway in 2004 with the book revised by Nathan Lane and the score expanded by Sondheim. This was revived in London in 2017.

Background

Shevelove first wrote and directed an adaptation of The Frogs in 1941, while he was a graduate student at Yale University. According to Mary-Kay Gamel, "His central production concept involved Charon and Dionysos rowing across the Exhibition Pool in the Payne Whitney Gymnasium, while the Frogs, played by members of the Yale swimming team, swam around the boat."[3][4]

Production history

Yale University

The Frogs was performed by the Yale Repertory Theatre in the Yale swimming pool, opening on May 20, 1974, for 8 performances. Shevelove directed, with choreography by Carmen de Lavallade; Larry Blyden played Dionysos.[5] The piece used a Greek chorus: "Sondheim's works frequently focus on an ensemble of characters, a practice which has led one critic to compare his use of the chorus to Greek drama. In 1974, Sondheim was becoming interested in contrapuntal writing, and most of the songs in the 1974 version correspond to choral numbers in the Greek." Among those who reviewed it, the musical was a critical success.[3] Sondheim compared the acoustics of the production to "putting on a show in a men's urinal".[2]

Regional and UK productions

A regional production opened in January 1975, but drew little interest.[6] In 1984, the University Theatre in New York City staged a production of The Frogs, beginning on April 12, 1984.[7]

A production at the Old Brentford Baths in London opened on July 24, 1990, for a short run. The cast featured Richard Zajdlic as Dionysus and Bob Husson as Xanthias, with choreography by Ron Howell and direction by John Gardyne.[8] In October 1991, the first production in an Olympic sized pool took place in Coventry. It ran for four performances. Produced by Keith Taylor and directed by Keith Taylor and Clare Walters, the cast included Anthony Cable, Verona Chard, Bernard Tagliavini and Raymond Sargent.

By 1979, Nathan Lane had become interested in the piece. He "found a copy of the script at the Drama Book Shop and was very intrigued by it".[9] On May 22, 2000, Lane, with Davis Gaines and Brian Stokes Mitchell, performed a concert version of The Frogs at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.[8]

2004 Broadway revival

Shortly after performing in the concert adaptation, Lane began revising and expanding the show's book into a two-act structure typical of American musicals; the first act was expanded, the second condensed. Lane explained what drew him to expand The Frogs: "after September 11 ... I started to think, there's something in this piece right now. ... There's something idealistic about the notion of someone believing that the arts can make a difference. ... I found it moving, in light of what is going on in the world." The new book included indirect references to George W. Bush and the Iraq War.[3]

For the new production, Sondheim wrote seven new songs, including ones that focused on individual characters rather than an ensemble. The Lincoln Center Theater produced the piece, now titled The Frogs: A New Broadway Musical, at their Vivian Beaumont Theater on Broadway. The revival, labeled as "even more freely adapted"[8] by Lane, opened on July 22, 2004, with Lane as Dionysus and Roger Bart as Xanthias. Chris Kattan had co-starred in previews, but was replaced by Bart a week before the show opened.[10] John Byner, Daniel Davis, Peter Bartlett, Burke Moses, and Michael Siberry appeared in supporting roles. Orchestrations were by Jonathan Tunick and Paul Gemignani was musical director, both longtime collaborators with Sondheim. Susan Stroman both directed and choreographed; costumes were designed by William Ivey Long.[8]

It opened to a mixed critical reception. Most complained that Lane's new plot was "loose", while others noted that the mix of low-brow comedy and high ideals seemed at odds, although others noted that this was what Aristophanes had done. The production closed on October 10, 2004, after 92 performances.[11] The revival was nominated for three Drama League Awards: Distinguished Production of a Musical (Lincoln Center Theater) and Distinguished performance (Nathan Lane and Roger Bart).[12]

Subsequent productions

The Frogs was produced by the Pegasus Players in Chicago, Illinois, in March to April 1988.[13] The Chicago Tribune called the production "a fascinating novelty, and more. It's ingeniously designed and staged, strongly sung and acted; and, though it has only a few musical numbers in its 100 minutes of playing time, each song is splendid."[14] The Pegasus Players also produced the piece in 2007, in the swimming pool at Truman College.[15][16] The first regional production of the revival version[17] opened in Pittsburgh on February 20, 2007, starring Jordan Grubb as Xanthias and Dale Spollett as Dionysos. It closed after a limited engagement on February 27, 2007.[18]

On February 3, 2011, a production by the FreeFall Theatre opened at their venue in St. Petersburg, Florida. Directed by Eric Davis, the cast included Jorge Acosta, Dick Baker, and Joel Martin. That run ended on February 20, 2011.

In January 2014, Anglia Ruskin University presented a showing of The Frogs at the Mumford Theatre in Cambridge, UK. It played for two nights on the 17th and 18 January, featuring Tariq Daniels as Dionysus, Gemma Dixon as Xanthias, Keegan Featherstone as Hades and Jade Copeman as Ariadne.

[19] On August 13, 2015, a production by UTS Backstage, the Film and Theatre Society at the University of Technology, Sydney, opened at the Lend-Lease Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Directed by Chris McKay, the cast included Luke Baweja, Gabrielle Rawlings, Abigail Dixon, Michael Mulvena, Alan Zhu, Alissa Del Vecchio, James Wilson, and Oliver Morassut as Hades.[20] The limited run of this show was the Australian premiere.[21] It had a short run because the Theatre Society was a non-profit organization made up of students in the Sydney area.

The musical was revived on March 19, 2017, for a limited run at London's Jermyn Street Theatre playing until April 8, 2017. It was directed by Grace Wessels and starred Michael Matus as Dionysos and George Rae as Xanthias.[22]

Synopsis

Act I

The play opens with two "actors," played by the same actors as the main characters of the play but considered different in the libretto, discussing which play they should perform. One actor suggests "the one about the man who kills his father and sleeps with his mother", but the other actor is in too good a mood for tragedy and they decide to perform a comedy instead. However, before they can perform, they must make a prayer offering the performance to the gods of the theatre, and instruct the audience in how to behave. Just as it looks like they are about to delay the real play further, the Chorus enters and demands that the actors start.

The Actors return as Dionysus, god of wine and drama, and his slave Xanthias. Dionysus is in despair about the state of the world, and has decided to travel to Hades to bring back the great writer George Bernard Shaw, who Dionysus believes will speak to society and help with its problems. His first stop is at the house of his half-brother Heracles to gain advice on how to enter Hades. Heracles says that Dionysus should don a lion-skin and pretend to be Heracles, and instructs the rather weak-willed god in proper heroic behaviour. The lesson seems to take, although Dionysus soon reverts to his old self. Heracles also warns them of the Frogs, dangerous creatures who live on the River Styx and are terrified of change.

They then travel to the Styx, where they meet the severely depressive ferryman, Charon. Charon agrees to take Xanthias and Dionysus to the Underworld, and claims that there are no Frogs on the river. Traveling on the River, Dionysus recounts the (mythologically accurate) story of his deceased wife Ariadne. When he took her to Mount Olympus to marry her, she was worried that she could not compare to the Olympian gods, he made her a crown of stars to help her look like a goddess. However, as she was only a mortal, she died soon afterwards, and Dionysus threw her crown back into the sky. He says he is glad that there are no stars in Hell.

Later that night, Dionysus is awoken by a cry of "brek-ek-ek-ek!" He soon works out that the Frogs have come; they drag him out of the boat and tempt him into a life of frogdom, hopping around without any cares or worries. Although Dionysus is briefly rescued by Xanthias, the Frogs return while Xanthias is distracted, and drag Dionysus back into the water.

Act II

Dionysus climbs back on the boat drenched and covered with weeds, still quivering from his horrible confrontation with the frogs. Undaunted, Charon steers them to the dock, where Dionysus and Xanthias disembark. They run into Dionysian worshipers, but Xanthias reminds Dionysus of their mission, and they continue to the Palace of Pluto.

Aeakos, keeper of the keys to the palace, sees Dionysus in his Heracles disguise and vows vengeance on the god who slew the three-headed watchdog of Hades. As Xanthias, at Dionysus's urging, dons Heracles's suit, they encounter Charisma, the beautiful handmaiden to Persephone. Mistaking Xanthias for Heracles, she invites him to a sensuous bath in hippopotamus milk. Tantalized, Dionysus takes back the lion skin and encounters Virilla, Queen of the Amazons, who accuses Dionysus (dressed again as Heracles) of stealing the girdle of her leader Hippolyte.

At the height of all the confusion, Pluto enters, surrounded by the flames of Hades. Dionysus sheds his Heracles disguise, and Pluto welcomes the god with open arms, disabusing him of the misconception that Hades is a dangerous place.

Dionysus tells Pluto of his plan to bring Shaw back to earth, and Pluto reveals that all the dead playwrights are banqueting at his palace at that very moment. As Pluto and Dionysus discuss the dire situation on Earth, the Greek Chorus offers ironic commentary to the audience: though serious matters are being weighed onstage, there is no cause for alarm.

Following the banquet, Dionysus bursts out of the palace to proclaim the entrance of George Bernard Shaw and his loyal passel of Shavians. When William Shakespeare emerges from the palace, the philosophical tension between the two titans escalates swiftly until they almost come to blows. Dionysus defuses the situation by declaring a contest between the two playwrights. Each will address the important issues of humanity using only the words of his own writings.

The supporters of Shaw and Shakespeare assemble into an arena where the verbal battle begins. Dionysus, high in his referee's chair, calls out the topics: first woman, then man, then the Life Force. Shaw and Shakespeare are pointed in their responses, Shaw delivering his pointed orations and Shakespeare responding with his poetic imagery.

Grappling for a final topic (and concerned whether the people of earth will accept Shaw's rigorous social views), Dionysus calls a time-out. His deceased wife Ariadne appears, comforting her husband and advising him to follow his heart. Looking lovingly into Dionysus's eyes, Ariadne assures him that the final topic is "staring you in the face".

The contest resumes, and Dionysus announces the final topic: Death. Shaw responds with a stirring passage from Saint Joan, and the crowd is hushed. Then Shakespeare speaks of death from an old man's point of view. Dionysus, wanting to hear more asks him to speak of a young man's feelings. Shakespeare's response is the song "Fear No More" from Cymbeline. The powerful poetry moves Dionysus to declare Shakespeare the winner and offer him passage to the world of the living. A disgruntled Shaw is dragged kicking and screaming from the stage as Charon the boatman announces the return trip. Xanthias, who has elected to remain in Hades with the Amazon Virilla, bids his master farewell, as the voices of Ariadne and the chorus accompany Dionysos home. Dionysus and Shakespeare arrive back at the same theatre that the actors were at in the beginning. Dionyus beckons Shakespeare to speak, and the playwright responds by calling for a new play to be written to inspire humanity. As the entire company is revealed, Dionysus steps forward and addresses the audience. He urges us to shake off lethargy, to take action to resolve the earthly problems that plague our times. And with that, his mission is complete.

Musical numbers
2004 Broadway production

Recordings

There are two recordings of the score available, both starring Nathan Lane. The first is a studio performance with Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Davis Gaines released in 2001 by Nonesuch Records, which also contains a complete recording of Sondheim's Evening Primrose songs. The 2004 Broadway production starring Lane and Roger Bart was released by PS Classics.

A recurring segment entitled "Would You Rather?" on the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! uses the entirety of the "Opening Fanfare" as its theme. A running gag involves the guests complaining about the length and host Scott Aukerman berating them for interrupting it.

Steven Bennof from To Catch a Predator wore a t shirt of the musical and briefly brought the show back to mainstream audiences in November 2005.

References
  1. Interview with Stephen Sondheim, BBC Radio 3, Composer of the Week, March 26, 2010
  2. Green, Jesse. "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Punch Line", The New York Times, June 27, 2004
  3. Hall, Edith; Wrigley, Amanda (2007). Aristophanes in performance, 421 BC-AD 2007: Peace, Birds and Frogs. ISBN 9781904350613. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  4. Gardner, Paul. "'Frogs' They Would A-Swimming Go", The New York Times, May 19, 1974, p.119
  5. Gussow, Mel. "Stage: Frogs in a Pool" (abstract), The New York Times, May 23, 1974, p. 49, accessed December 16, 2011
  6. "1975 production listing". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  7. "1984, The Frogs, University Theatre". Broadway World Show Database. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  8. "The Frogs". The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide.
  9. Portantiere, Michael. The Frogs theatermania.com, January 25, 2005
  10. BW Staff. "Roger Bart Replaces Chris Kattan in The Frogs", broadway.com, July 11, 2004.
  11. Suskin, Steven. "ON THE RECORD: A New Recording of Sondheim's The Frogs" Archived 2012-10-19 at the Wayback Machine. Playbill. February 6, 2005.
  12. Jones, Kenneth (May 13, 2005). "Drama League Names Doubt and Dirty Rotten Best of 2004-05 NYC Season". playbill.com. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  13. "The Frogs". pegasusplayers.org. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  14. Christiansen, Richard (March 15, 1988). "Pegasus Makes A Big Splash With The Frogs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  15. The Frogs theatreinchicago.com, accessed July 27, 2017
  16. Barnidge, Mary Shen. "Theater: 'The Frogs' windycitymediagroup.com, May 9, 2007
  17. Rawson, Christopher (February 20, 2007). "Stage Review: Sondheim's Frogs is ribeting musical". Post Gazette. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  18. Hoover, Ted. "The Frogs". Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  19. Gans, Andrew (January 10, 2011). "Casting Announced for FreeFall Theatre's Staging of Frogs". playbill.com. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  20. https://www.facebook.com/events/1603522683251761/
  21. http://theatrenow.com.au/event/the-frogs-a-new-musical/2015-08-13/
  22. Billington, Michael. "The Frogs review – Nathan Lane's larky update of Sondheim musical", The Guardian, March 20, 2017,
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