Review - Lysistrata Jones: She Likes Basketball!

When Aristophanes premiered the knockabout comedy, Lysistrata, in 411 B.C., his tale of women denying sex to their husbands until they ended the Peloponnesian War was an irreverent protest against then-contemporary politics. In their giddily fun and sexy musical update, Lysistrata Jones, bookwriter Douglas Carter Beane and composer/lyricist Lewis Flinn ditch the anti-war hoopla in favor of college basketball hoops. At first it seems a lot sillier - the girlfriends of an apathetic team stop putting out until they win a game - but then evolves into neat little explorations of self-esteem, self-discovery and the importance of non-sexual connections in romantic relationships. I'm not saying they delve into Sondheimish depths here, but this twist to the story adds a refreshingly original and unexpected angle to an already immensely enjoyable show.

Transport Group, whose recent site-specific exploits have included The Boys In The Band staged in a Manhattan apartment and Hello Again mounted in a warehouse space that suggested a sex club, plays out Lysistrata Jones on an actual basketball court inside Judson Memorial Church. The actors occupy half the court with the audience seated on risers at the opposite end. (Knowing what acoustics are generally like in such spaces, sound designer Tony Meola scores a special mention for the evening's comfortable clarity.)

We're at Athens University, a college so disinterested in sports that their team name is the Spartans. The reason why the basketball team hasn't won a game in thirty years (the approximate length of the Peloponnesian War), as explained by captain Mick (Josh Segarra as the sensitive jock), is that The Players are just interested in getting their P.E. credit. In order to avoid the disappointment of defeat, they go into each game with no intention but to have fun, with their minds more focused on their customary post-game delights at the Acropolis Mountain Lounge; a tradition enthusiastically followed by hot-blooded Latino couple Uardo and Cleonice (Alexander Aguilar and Kat Nejat), gansta-talking white boy Cinesuis (Alex Wyse) and his black, classic lit-loving mate Mhyrinne (LaQuet Sharnell, who gets to wail some wildly sexy vocals) and Tyllus (Max Kumangai), who sees his bubble-headed Asian babe, Lampito (Katie Boren), as part of his life's plan check list. Harold (Teddy Toye) is the only player who abstains from the fun, preferring to spend his nights at home watching action-hero movies.

But this won't do for Mick's new girlfriend, transfer student Lysistrata (Patti Murin, funny and spunky as a blonde trophy gf type who thinks creatively) who wants her man to have goals and ambitions. When she convinces the other girls to form the school's first cheerleading squad and inspire the boys to victory, the Spartans really give an effort but lose a close one, making the guys swear to never try to win again.

With drastic measures needed, Lysistrata goes to the library, where militant slam poet Robin (hilariously angry Lindsay Nicole Chambers), helps her learn the story of her namesake. Our heroine also acquires the help of laptop activist Xander (endearingly nerdy Jason Tam) by inspiring him to take up causes beyond his keyboard.

The simple sweetness of Aristophanes' original is that once the women decide to withhold sex, nobody even considers going outside of their relationships for temporary relief. Everyone's in love with their spouse and wants nobody else. But in Lysistrata Jones, the decision to not only withhold sex but to do more provocative cheers and even start sexting the frustrated lads until they win a game leads to breakups, re-couplings, trips to a brothel and the discovery of sexual identities, as the gang begins considering other components of healthy romantic relationships. (The madam of the brothel, by the way, is played by the musical's narrator, the charismatic bluesy belter Liz Mikel.)

As is typical with Beane, the very clever book is loaded with punch lines referencing art and theatre, rather than sports. (The Spartans have games against the Corinthian Columns and The Boys From Syracuse.) Flinn's bouncy pop score contains a lively assortment of hip-hop and R&B offerings that inspire director/choreographer Dan Knechtges to propel his company into dazzlingly quick cheerleading and b-ball playing routines. The choreography that actually involves handling basketballs appears to be - understandably - done with caution, considering the small playing space, but so eye-popping is the dancing that it's only when the score slows down that it's noticeable how the lyrics don't match the wit of the book.

Nevertheless, Lysistrata Jones is a fetching musical comedy filled with laughs and delivered with comical zest by a loveable company. Good clean sexy fun.

Photos by Carol Rosegg: Top: Josh Segarra and Patti Murin; Bottom: Katie Boren, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Patti Murin, LaQuet Sharnell and Kat Nejat.

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