1/22/2023 0 Comments The frogs musical![]() ![]() When Dionysus tries on Hercules's lion skin and asks Xanthias, "How do I look?", Xanthias replies, " Like the Circle of Life has stopped.".The last line of the title song (spoken by Xanthias after seeing his master attacked by a giant frog) is "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.".Setting Update: A Classical Greek play updated to, well, some time after Shaw's death.May also double as Take That, Critics!, considering how Sondheim's songs once were criticized for being too complex to hum along to. Self-Deprecation: In the "Instructions to the Audience", one of the instructions is that "if by a sudden miracle / A tune should appear that's lyrical, / Don't hum along".Promoted Fanboy: In-Universe, Dionysus, a massive fan of Shaw's work, squees at being able to meet his idol.The Greek Chorus follows up by singing for Dionysus to relax because " It's only a play!" Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When Dionysus goes to Pluto and begs him to allow George Bernard Shaw to come back to Earth, Pluto and the Greek Chorus point out that it's very naive (if optimistic) to think that one playwright's works would be all it would take to change the world.In some cases it's clearly a case of the character not understanding the Underworld, and the place is shown to be quite pleasant. ![]() Hijacked by Jesus: Subverted in general, as the musical remains faithful to Aristophanes's play, however there are a few instances where the characters (including Hades himself) refers to the Underworld as "hell".A Hell of a Time: The Underworld turns out to be a pretty nice place, all things considered.This expanded version played on Broadway with Lane and Roger Bart as the leads.Īnd you get to live in Hades/Where it's always 2 A.M.!/ Where you party 'till you drop/ And it never stops/ 'Cause there's nothing we condemn! In 2004, Nathan Lane expanded the show into a full-length musical, writing the new book himself (Shevelove having passed away in 1982) with Sondheim contributing seven new songs. It was staged in the college gymnasium, with the scenes involving the River Styx and the frogs being performed in the pool, with the Yale swimming team (hence lines in the original opening song, begging the audience not to swim during the performance). Written by Burt Shevelove with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, it was based on an adaptation that Shevelove had written and directed during his own senior year at Yale in 1941. What follows is a hilarious journey as the pair try to break into the Underworld, are beset by singing frogs in Hades (the creatures hate change and want things to stay the way they are), and finally must decide if Shaw really is the best playwright to bring back to life.Īn adaptation of a play by Aristophanes, this musical was created for a college performance at Yale in 1974. The Greek god Dionysus decides that he won't stand for this nonsense, and sets off with his Deadpan Snarker slave Xanthias to bring George Bernard Shaw back from Hades to set things back on track. The art of good theater and literature in general has gone downhill, and things seem to be going to pieces.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |