The Frogs 2004 - Articles Page 3

From the writers behind A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum comes the hilarious send up of Greek comedy and satire, The Frogs. Loosely based on a comedy written in 405 B.C. by Aristophanes, The Frogs playfully explores the great challenges of human existence: confronting our fears, understanding life and death and challenging the distractions that can prevent us from achieving our goals.



This boisterously hilarious, yet poignant, musical follows Dionysos, Greek god of wine and drama, and his slave, Xanthias, on a journey to Hades to collect renowned critic and playwright, George Bernard Shaw, so that he may enlighten the easily misled and coerced masses of Earth. Along this journey, Dionysus and Xanthias meet Chekhov, Congreve, Ibsen, Brecht and, of course, the chorus of frogs. Then, Shakespeare shows up and starts declaiming his greatest hits; before long, he engages in a battle of words with Mr. Shaw. Who will win the honor of becoming reincarnated: The Bard or Bernard?



The Frogs stays true to its heritage, mixing Aristophanic pratfall satire with a Sondheim score that swings from witty to pretty to rambunctious, but it also mirrors the Greek original for the serious issue of the role of the arts in a world beset by war and folly.