A ribbit-ing good time!
The world is on fire, and people are dying. War and plague ravage the globe, and arts funding faces cuts. Humanity needs a bloody miracle to be saved! Dionysus, the god of theatre, teams up with his trusty sidekick Xanthias on an odyssey to the Underworld. They hope to resurrect a dead playwright to save the world of the living. Dionysus’ recent favourite, Euripides, is dead. He disguises himself as the hero Heracles and goes down to Hades to bring Euripides back to the land of the living. However, a competition arranged between Euripides and his great predecessor Aeschylus causes Dionysus to switch allegiances. He is won over to Aeschylus’ cause and returns to earth with him, believing Aeschylus is better suited to help Athens address its troubles.
On the road to hell, they encounter a colony of frogs that seem not only happy about the chaos above but also sing show tunes to celebrate. This classic of Ancient Greek comedy is given a bold, delightfully camp, chaotic, and thought-provoking new interpretation with a uniquely queer Australian voice.
Running for 70 minutes without an interval, The Frogs delivers as much silly fun as you can have on a night out at the New Theatre. Director Alex Kendall Robson adapts the classic Greek comedy by Aristophanes, infusing it with slapstick and gag after gag. This side-splitting romp to the underworld pokes fun at world leaders (including a hilarious Donald Trump reference), creatives, and, with many direct-to-audience lines, those of us who consume theatre and the arts.
Chaotically unhinged, The Frogs makes you giggle from the beginning. We meet Dionysus – God of theatre, wine, and orgies, played hilariously by the very likable Pat Mandziy. His long-suffering servant Xanthias (Eddy O’Leary), who provides a perfect foil to the flighty and camp Dionysus, also delivers some fantastic zingers.
Axel Berecry appears muscular and as daft as Heracles, while the sexual tension with Dionysus provides hilarious moments as Dionysus shamelessly flirts with him with diva-like abandon. The ensemble, most of whom have featured roles, performs very tightly and delivers clever, joyful performances. The cast exhibits energy and chemistry, with notable performances from Meg Bennetts as a crazy old woman, Nicholas Starte as a very camp Hades, James Robin as the manic Ferryman, and Max Fernandez as the porter.
Silly though this play is, director Alex Kendall Robson points out that silliness is not mindlessness. He emphasises that The Frogs offers as much social commentary as comedy. The cleverness comes from Alex Kendall Robson’s smart adaptation, which retains the beats of Aristophanes’ original while incorporating show tunes, farce, satire, and even reality TV for good measure.
Tom Bannerman’s set features green sails and a movable piano on a wheeled platform, enabling smooth transitions between scenes. Josh Carter’s costumes include togas, leopard print, and lots of lovely froggy green.
The show features a good old fashioned Broadway kick line at its climax, reminding us that humour through trauma often creates the best comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed last week’s opening night of this world premiere and left smiling – a reminder that even in the bleakest and darkest times, showtunes can fix everything.
The Frogs: In Hell They Sing Showtunes adapted by Alex Kendall Robson after Aristophanes plays at the New Theatre through 6 September.
Photos (c) Bob Seary.
Adapted by Alex Kendall Robson after Aristophanes
World Premiere – New Theatre, Newtown
Review by Damien Barrett @_helloshoppers
In his past lives, Damien was a drag queen and musical theatre actor. He made his stage debut as a fat cow in a school production of Joseph in 1984. He holds a BA with a major in drama from the University of Newcastle. He is completely obsessed with musical theatre – especially Broadway divas.
Since relocating to Sydney at the beginning of 2024, he attends every musical he can get to and lives with his partner and grumpy 12-year-old poodle.
His claim to fame is that he once met Patti Lupone in New York and she was nice to him.