The Frogs
Rating: ★★★
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
Cast: Dan Buckley, Kevin McHale, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Carl Patrick, Bart Lambert, Martha Pothen, Alison Driver, Milo McCarthy and Evonnee Bentley-Holder

Shaken by a divided and despairing political climate (sound familiar?), Dionysos and trusty sidekick Xanthias take a leap of faith—straight into Hades. Their mission? Find a cure for an ailing world. But when they reach the River Styx, they encounter Dionysos’ worst nightmare… frogs. Not your average pond dwellers, these amphibians are stubborn beings who resist change and are determined for the status quo to remain the same (sound familiar?) Will our dynamic duo outsmart these swampy naysayers and hop toward humanity’s salvation? Or will they get bogged down in their muddy resistance?

Have you ever been so terrified by the current state of humanity that you decide to travel to literal hell and back to resurrect the only person who could possibly save us (that being George Bernard Shaw, of course) only to return with William Shakespeare instead? I mean, really, what's he going to do!? (Shaw, on the other hand, obviously, would have completely turned the tides). 

That's the premise of this newly revived Sondheim musical… I think. 

Nathan Lane’s most recent adaptation of the ancient comedy from Aristophanes is running at the Southwark Playhouse Borough until the end of next month, and my goodness, it has everything.

Firstly, the highest commendation must go to Georgie Rankcom who's wonderful and witty direction had everyone (crew in the tech booths, and the MD on the prompt screens included!) cackling from start to finish. She has taken what might be described as a rather lifeless libretto and managed to incorporate it into a modernised text in a way that is accessible for most audiences.

The cast were equally as fantastic, and gave powerful performances throughout. Specific shoutouts must go to Dan Buckley and Kevin McHale for their delightful double act, particularly during act one. Their partnership had notably less stage time after the interval, although this was the longer half of the show, meaning it seemed a little too drawn out and would have benefited from more of the pair's tomfoolery to uplift the atmosphere. 

This seems to drop so dramatically due to the somewhat suffocating Sondheim score, which really just didn't need to be there. The story is kooky enough in its own right without adding the weight of such a controversially complex composer. The Frogs did not seem the perfect platform for the songs, and it feels this show may have been better billed as a play with music or, better yet, just an underscored comedy in its own right!

This may also have allowed for more compelling choreography (by Matt Nicholson), as this element seemed to suffer in lieu of the vocal demands placed upon the ensemble. This is not suggested by the dancers’ execution at all, but more in their evident breathlessness and weak sound quality throughout the pacier numbers. 

If you have the energy to be enthralled and perplexed for a couple of hours over the next few weeks, then this one is TOAD-ally for you! Their final bow is set for 28th of June so you only have a few weeks left to hop on down and grab a ticket.