Reviewed Saturday 17th May 2014
Lysistrata is not the comedy that Aristophanes intended when it was first performed in 411BC, and that his audiences at that time understood it to be. We are accustomed to seeing it presented as an anti-war play, or as a feminist statement. At the time the play was lampooning women, the joke being that women, in this male dominated society, were considered to be in need of a firm hand to save them from themselves, and certainly incapable of such a coordinated action.
Times have changed a lot since then and that joke is almost beyond comprehension in the light of the achievements of women since then, from women's suffrage, to the feminist movement, to several women around the world holding the highest office in the land and leading their countries. This updated version uses the script written by Professor Michael Ewan from the University of Newcastle, New South Wales. His script occasionally uses Australian vernacular, and is peppered with expletives, alongside more poetic text.
Ross Vosvotekas directs this modernised production of the fictional event, by Adapt Enterprises, running at the Holden Street Theatres until the end of May, as part of the Greek cultural festival, the 2014 Festival Hellenika. The central character, Lysistrata, whose name translates as 'army disbander', is fed up with the long time that the Peloponnesian War against Sparta has been running and, in an effort to stop it, she calls on her fellow Athenian women to band together and withdraw all conjugal interaction with their men folk. Extremely reluctantly, since they enjoy sex as much as the men, they agree. Lysistrata finds herself putting as much energy into keeping her band of women together, and in line with her aims, as she does trying to get the men to end their war.
Newcomer, Michaela Wauchope, who plays the eponymous character, established a strong presence on stage, and made her Lysistrata physically active, bustling about busily, bossing, cajoling, berating and hassling the other women to keep them in line, whilst putting the men in their place by keeping them at the point of intense, and unrelieved sexual frustration.
Petra Taylor plays Kalonike, Olivia Fairweather plays Myrrhine, and Anita Nedosyko plays the Spartan, Lampito, the first three recuits to the cause. Lysistrata has her work cut out in getting them on board, and eventually results to a bowl of wine, getting them to agree and commit by drinking from the shared vessel. The three get plenty of luaghs out of this situation, making it obvious that they are as much in need of the men as the men are of them. Taylor has a great range of facial expressions that say more than words, and Fairweather knows how to convey a secutive nature, as she toys with her husband, Kinesias, driving him mad with desire, then leaving him unsatisfied.
The hapless Kinesias is played by Sean Watters, who gives his all to convey his characters mounting frustration at Myrrhine's cruel treatment. Kinesias is not alone, though, and there are soon a group of men suffering so badly that walking has become difficult. They include a Spartan Herald, the magistrate and the delegates from both sides who have come together for peace talks. All sport a heavy load and the interactions with the women gives new meaning to the expression "having a tiger by the tale".
The play has a double chorus, the old men and the old women, who begin in conflict and end as allies. They are played by Taylor, Nedosyko, Gia Pyrlis, Phi Theodoros, Tanya Gizi, Justin J. Stone, Mark Milton,
Tom Fitzsimmons, and Vosvotekas. There is a degree of Monty Python's famous 'pepper pots' to be found at times in the old women's chorus, adding to the fun. Gyzi gives some of the audience a closer encounter than they were expecting, but all in good fun.
Added to this are two musicians, Hannah Yates and Joseph Moore, who also act as a chorus. I felt that there was, though, a little too much music overall in the performance and that it tended to slow the pace somewhat. I have also yet to understand why Australians feel the need to adopt fake American accents when singing, and so often run words into one another, making them unintelligible.
Everybody works hard and there is plenty of enthusiasm and energy, although a little more pace here and there would help, but that might have happened naturally, since the opening night. The humour ranges from witty dialogue, to knockabout comedy, and to blatant sexual farce, so there is something for everybody, but leave the kids at home.
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