★★★

“Ultimately it is a moving piece, that takes us behind the twitching curtains of suburbia”

Northwood Hills. Zone 6 London. The middle of nowhere. With apologies to the residents of HA6, that is where we find Ruth Townsend and company, at a bit of a dead end. It’s not so much that Ruth hates where she lives, she just dislikes the ‘concept’ of suburbia. ‘And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?”’ is no doubt a constant refrain in here head. The Talking Heads song does indeed make an appearance as part of the well-chosen soundtrack to David Shopland’s new play, “Cul-de-Sac”. Billed as a comedy-drama it is, more accurately, a comedy and then a drama. In that order. The first act sets up the situation and characterisation with lashings of humour, no holds barred; while Act Two belongs to the very different genre of psychological drama. Both halves, together, make for a long evening and, although we leave with much to contemplate and talk about, we are also trying to think of a ruthless editor to recommend to Shopland.

It is a finely structured piece, nevertheless, zooming in on the secrets and resentments of the characters that have wound up in the eponymous, yet unnamed, cul-de-sac. None are stereotypes or caricatures, but they all do conform to a particular ‘type’. Shopland is a great observer of human nature, and the laughs can sometimes give way to gasps. Shades of Edward Albee, Mike Leigh and Joe Orton are all present, but they compete with, rather than blend into, each other.

Ruth (Shereen Roushbaiani) and Frank (Ellis J. Wells) have been living on the cul-de-sac for three years and have never really got to know the neighbours that well yet. Roushbaiani presents Ruth’s dissatisfaction with a delicacy that we feel could crack at any moment. It is a wonder it doesn’t shatter sooner given Wells’ shouty, cantankerous Frank. Nervous neighbour, Marie, unwittingly wanders into their life and living room. Lucy Farrett, in a bid to sustain the volume set by Wells, sacrifices the subtlety of Marie’s neuroses and secrets with an over-emphasised delivery. Callum Patrick Hughes, as Simon, gurns and twitches his way into the fold as the lovable misfit. Late to the party is Behkam Salehani, as Hamza, a figure that turns the tide and makes us look at the others in a completely different way.

‘What starts as a quiet evening rapidly unravels…’ we are told in the publicity blurb. Only it is the other way around. It begins quite raucously (too raucously) and gradually drifts into quieter, more introspective territory. The cast seem to be trying too hard initially, which hinders our belief in their characters. Emotions run too high too soon. Touches of surreal choreography open each act during which we can see the question marks hovering above the actors’ heads as well as the audience. Shopland, who also directs, is packing in too many ingredients and we are losing our way a bit. A soliloquy about religious and racial persecution seems to appear out of nowhere.

But then the penny drops. Shopland delivers a twist, the true colours show through and at last we prick up our ears. The sadness that has bubbled to the surface is palpable and the performances have settled into a pool of poignancy, its stillness amplifying the emotions. A false ending, however, trips us up. Shopland should have quit while he was winning, but instead the narrative coasts into a kind of group therapy session where they are trying to outdo each other in the trauma stakes. A bit like the Monty Python ‘Yorkshireman’ sketch; “You were lucky…”

Ultimately it is a moving piece, that takes us behind the twitching curtains of suburbia. Occasionally predictable yet with a sharp insight into the complications, secrets and tragedies of seemingly ordinary people. The shift from humour to pathos is powerfully executed, although a bit drawn out. We may be in a cul-de-sac but, at times, it seems it has no end.

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.

CUL-DE-SAC

Omnibus Theatre

★★★

“Ultimately it is a moving piece, that takes us behind the twitching curtains of suburbia”

CUL-DE-SAC

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed on 29th May 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Kat Forsyth

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CUL-DE-SAC

CUL-DE-SAC

CUL-DE-SAC

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

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