THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act”

“The Frogs” – the musical ‘freely’ adapted by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove from the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes – opens with a paradox. The time is the present and the place is Ancient Greece. This tells us that the writers have given themselves license to tweak (to put it politely) the original for a modern audience. The central premise, however, needs little updating: Aristophanes used his play – at a time of crisis – as a biting satire of politics and religion, bemoaning the corruption inherent in society’s leaders and calling for the rejection of the status quo. Two-and-a-half-thousand years on we can pretty much still relate to that. What the writers have done is sprinkle it with contemporary references, added a fair dose of Sondheim’s inimitable music and lyrics and, with the help of Nathan Lane (‘even more freely’ adapted) dished up a couple of hours of mind-bogglingly, zany and funny – but inconsistent – musical theatre.

The title is a touch misleading. Yes, there are frogs. Frogs that populate the River Styx (of course!) and close Act One with a droll and incisive choral number; but beyond that they barely make an appearance. What “The Frogs” focuses on is the epic journey of Dionysos and his slave Xanthias into the Underworld and back in a bid to put the world to rights. Dionysos believes only art can save civilisation but contemporary dramatists aren’t up to scratch, so he decides ‘to go to Hell and back’ (this particular joke is milked for all its worth) to bring George Bernard Shaw back from the dead. He finds Shakespeare down there, constantly at loggerheads with Shaw. The two of them end up fighting it out in a linguistic dual, competing to see which one Dionysos will choose to accompany him back to the land of the living.

The journey is a bit of a meandering rollercoaster. Or rather log-flume, or water-chute. Although mercifully no water tanks have been employed to create a realistic representation of the Styx. Instead, Samuel Biondolillo’s evocative lighting, and Libby Todd’s clever breakaway set depict the worlds we travel through. Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act. They don’t break the fourth wall, they just take it for granted there isn’t one – which makes their on-stage chemistry and affectionate rivalry as master and slave, even more of a delight to be immersed in. They draw us into the story with ease, and we are willing accomplices. Joaquin Pedro Valdes is having great fun as the ab-flexing Herakles. Carl Patrick’s boatman Charon ups the fun stakes, veering dangerously close to indulgent, but Georgie Rankcom’s strong directorial hand keeps the cast firmly in check, possibly with the exception of Victoria Scone, as Pluto, who brings her Drag Race persona crashing onto the stage with the confidence of a fully-fledged Goddess. (Scone plays Pluto only until 31st May, after which a rota of other performers takes a week each).

The comedy’s sharpness is honed during the later stages of the show, when Bart Lambert’s Shakespeare and Martha Pothen’s Bernard Shaw tackle each other with words like drunkards brawling with bottles. Lambert’s and Pothen’s comic timing and grasp of their respective character’s linguistic styles is extraordinary and the humour, whilst more subtle, becomes increasingly satisfying the more it ditches its pantomime pizzazz.

More of a play with music than a musical, “The Frogs” is full of anachronisms and topical updates that bring the message closer to a contemporary audience. Even closer than the musical’s 1970s premiere, with references to influencers and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Bad Cinderella’ – among many others. This does add to the already heady mix of styles that can be a bit alienating, and the pointed political commentary (‘you get the leader you deserve’ for example) is a touch blunt and predictable. But there is no denying the sheer sense of fun, anarchy and silliness. Definitely worth hopping along to.

THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 27th May 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

Last ten shows reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

THE FROGS

THE HOUSE OF YES at The Hope Theatre

★★★★

“You’re guaranteed to feel sickened and hysterically entertained at the same time.”

Director Mathew Parker clearly has a penchant for tales that are dark and disturbing. Having had previous success with other Hope Theatre in-house productions, Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story, The Lesson and Lovesong of The Electric Bear, they all have a similar theme of sinister unsettlement to them. Parker undisputedly has a knack for the genre of black comedy/thriller and brings his expertise to this latest show. The House of Yes is deliciously uncomfortable yet devilishly funny. A rare outing of Wendy Macleod’s under-the-radar 90’s hit play and film, this is a thrilling revival, losing none of its shock value or humour.

It’s Thanksgiving in Washington D.C. A hurricane is sweeping through the capital, but it’s not just the weather that’s blowing up a storm. The Pascal family, of upper-class, WASP-ish pedigree, who live in a time warp since the Kennedy assassination, are feverishly awaiting the arrival of the prodigal son, Marty (Fergus Leathem). None is as excited for his return as his unstable twin sister Jackie-O (Colette Eaton). However the presence of Marty’s fiancee, Lesly (Kaya Bucholc), there to meet the family, comes as somewhat of a surprise. The obsessive Jackie is not best pleased, younger brother Anthony (Bart Lambert) is infatuated, and Mother Pascal (Gill King) is judging from the shadows as she watches on. In a series of twisted events and manipulations, the night soon becomes a Thanksgiving no one will forget.

The cast, on a whole, do a marvellous job at giving heightened performances that never fall into being camp and melodramatic, which could so easily occur with Macleod’s writing. Eaton as Jackie-O teases you with her fragility, never knowing when she might do something drastic, whilst Lambert’s oddball physicality and leering looks as Anthony are decidedly creepy and comical all-in-one.

The studio space is decked out by designer Rachael Ryan with gold drapes, and gilded frames, to give a nod to the cavernous, elaborate home of the Pascals, yet uses the intimate environment of the theatre, full of shadowy little corners, to heighten the gothic, haunted house aesthetic.

With an Absurdist veneer and Noël Coward-like sensibility, The House of Yes gives an unconventional take on theatrical commonalities, creating its own Frankenstein mish-mash of genres. The subtext hints to deeper messages on the themes of family politics, and the American class system, but never lets this interfere with the stylised exterior. Instead it is just tantalisingly bubbling under the surface. Regardless of being nearly 30 years old, this play still feels rather daring, even if not so relevant to today. You’re guaranteed to feel sickened and hysterically entertained at the same time.

THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act”

THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 27th May 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

Last ten shows reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

THE FROGS

THE FROGS

THE FROGS

THE HOUSE OF YES at The Hope Theatre

★★★★

“You’re guaranteed to feel sickened and hysterically entertained at the same time.”

The studio space is decked out by designer Rachael Ryan with gold drapes, and gilded frames, to give a nod to the cavernous, elaborate home of the Pascals, yet uses the intimate environment of the theatre, full of shadowy little corners, to heighten the gothic, haunted house aesthetic.

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

Reviewed – 10th October 2019

Photography by lhphotoshots

The House of Yes

Hope Theatre until 26th October

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

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