The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse Borough Review
Can art save civilisation? Sondheim's lesser-known piece asks the question
Slog, Slog, Travel, Travel, March, March, Trudge, Trudge!
If a Greek god and a slave attempting to bring back George Bernard Shaw wasn’t a wild enough concept, throw in an ensemble of frogs – human-sized, with sparkly, green gloves. This forms the premise for the legendary Stephen Sondheim’s The Frogs, which on its billing reads ‘A comedy written in 405 B.C. by Aristophanes, freely adapted by Burt Shevlove, and even more freely adapted by Nathan Lane’, a glimpse into the musical’s satirical, comedic tone.
21 years on from its original Broadway premiere, the amphibians now hop across the pond to London in a brand-new revival (as one of its musical numbers would reference) from up-and-coming director Georgie Rankcom. Following in Sondheim’s eclectic portfolio of work, the show leans fully towards whimsicality, with an opening number ‘Instructions to the Audience’ delivered by storytellers and later, protagonists of the story they decide to tell, Dionysos and Xanthias. In utter deadpan, house rules are musicalised, from switching off mobile phones to refraining from farting – a sharp stylistic contrast considering the reviewer’s matinee on the same day was Here We Are.
But here we are, on the duo’s wild quest to find Shaw (Martha Pothen) from the Underworld; the Greek storyline is indeed loosely followed, as promised, with a sprinkling of puns, slapstick and physical comedy, all set against Sondheim’s signature, tonally ambiguous score. The resultant product is a fever dream of a show to take in all at once, but the cast whisks the audience through the process with unrestrained hilarity that suspense of disbelief soon settles for whichever unhinged figure was next to peek through the curtains.
From the very first line of dialogue, the unexpected pairing that is Dan Buckley (Dionysos) and Kevin McHale (Xanthias) makes endearing storytellers, modernised without hesitation (think completely random, yet hilariously on-point references to Bad Cinderella). Both having garnered substantial public presence in their own right, through social media and Glee respectively, the duo fully embraces the comedic chaos in performances that do not disappoint; Buckley brings to the room no-nonsense, deadpan humour as the ‘God of Drama’ (with an emphasis on the Drama); forming wonderful contrast with one-liners from McHale, whose undisputed charm fittingly radiates with his innocent character.
En route to find Hades, the two encounter a riot of animated personalities that are Herakles and Charon – the former is played by Joaquin Pedro Valdes, with over-the-top, articulated facial expressions and virtuosic riffs matching the self-indulgent, narcissistic Greek god; while the latter sees Carl Patrick demonstrate thorough character work popping up across Libby Todd’s compartment-filled set, at one point losing a prop and blurts out ‘ask Evie (Graham-Brown, Assistant Stage Manager)’ – hilarious whether scripted or not.
But the true range of performances come from the diverse casting bracket, not only fully utilising the ensemble, but featuring an additional guest star rotating every week in the role of the diva Pluto. The role is played on opening week by Victoria Scone, who delivers an iconic persona to the on-brand diva; at one point Pluto leads a full-blown musical number, accompanied by a certain pop icon look-alike (Evonnee Bentley-Holder – genius choreographical choice by Matt Nicholson) which leaves the crowd in fits of laughter; a testament to the sheer talent force Rankcom manages to bring together.
Despite brilliantly casted by Peter Noden, the pool of talent must eventually rely on its material shine fully; in the case of Lane’s two-act expansion, the story hops off on multiple tangents further into the second act. While a handful of characters are left unexplored, the story at times lingering on abrupt moments, such as a word fight out of the blue between Shaw and Shakespeare – amidst Dionysos’ initial mission to save civilisation with art. In tandem with Sondheim’s ambiguously structured harmonies and highly syllabic melodies, it’s often inevitable to feel lost within the dispersed narrative, trying to grasp hold of the whirlwind of comedy, satire and attempts to reach deeper meaning.
Whilst the verdict behind the story is open to liberal interpretation, the piece is unmistakably Sondheim and checks most boxes on a light-hearted, theatre-coded comedy. Come for the titular vertebrates, be taken on a dizzying ride across the pond, and stay for the laughs and enduring charm that only live theatre can manage. Ribbit, ribbit! 🐸
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Frogs plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 28 June. For more information and to book tickets, visit the venue website.
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the press representative for the production, with expectation of an honest, non-biased review. All opinions remain those of the writer, without any input or approval from the venue or producers. Standard tickets for the main run are priced at £35, with Concessions at £28.
♾️ The show features a moderate sound mix and amplified live music throughout. Sensory-specific timings are listed as follows: