The Frogs is one of Stephen Sondheim’s lesser known works and I was keen to discover if there was a reason for this and if so how this latest production of the work at Southwark Playhouse tackled it. The premise of the show is that the time is the present and the location is Ancient Greece….and the ludicrously of the show (in a good way) doesn’t stop there. The show tells of Dionysos, the god of drama and wine who decides that the best way to fix earths problems is to bring back writer, George Bernard Shaw from the underworld. In doing so he takes his slave Xanthias on his quest with him and along the way visits his half brother Herakles and battles with everything from physical frogs to the philosophical meaning of art.

The book itself started life in 405BC in a story by Aristophanes, adapted by Burt Shevelove and as it says on the website – even more freely adapted by Nathan Lane with plenty of jokes thrown in during this current iteration. The show starts strongly, clearly setting expectations as to the silliness of the show however as The Frogs went on I struggled to even recall why they were going to the underworld in the first place as it had strayed so much from the original theme until the last moments of the show. Even as we draw towards the final moments of the show, the battle between Shaw and Shakespeare is drawn out and doesn’t really add to either the comedy or the plot and the resolution felt incomplete.

The show however certainty knew how to make the audience laugh and the press night audience revelled in jokes about Bad Cinderella and Southwark Playhouse not technically being West End even if it is ‘cute.’ It was difficult to determine if I was supposed to be pondering the meaning of art and if it can save mankind, or if I was there to simply sit back and laugh and let the loose plot wash over me.

The music reminded me of Sondheim’s ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to The Forum,’ in both sound and tone. The opening number ‘Invocation and Instructions to the Audience’ is very reminiscent of ‘Comedy Tonight,’ and clearly sets the tone for the rest of the show, asking the audience to refrain from coughing and farting. There were times where I did ponder as to the benefit of the musical additions to the show although the music certainty helped underline the absurdity of it all however it was a far cry from some of Sondheim’s greater works and the music failed to do much more than produce a snigger.

The cast were an excellent choice across the board for this production and fully leant into the absurd nature of the beast. Dan Buckley as Dionysos and Kevin McHale as Xanthias were the double act that I didn’t know I needed in my life until now! They bring a huge amount of comedic energy to the stage and bounce off each other brilliantly. There were periods during Act 2 where McHale was not involved in the action on stage and I found myself wishing he was on stage for these parts of the show, which shows what a mark he made on the story. Whilst Buckley rarely left the stage he was perfect for the role – able to jump from the comedic scenes to the more serious moments of the show with apparent ease.

We were also treated to Joaquin Pedro Valdes in the cast in the role of Herakles and he really knew how to put a stamp on a part. With plenty of posing and posturing which is exactly what the part called for he left a lasting impression. The same can be said for the rest of the cast who multi rolled as well – from dancing frogs to Princess Diana and from George Bernard Shaw through to the Bard himself. Each moment was played out for the maximum amount of laughs, exactly how it should be. We were also treated to guest star Victoria Scone as Pluto who added an air of old school glamour to the part, although if you go later in the run you may see Danielle Steers, Sooz Kemper or Jo Foster.

I also can’t wrap up the review without mentioning the frogs themselves, dressed in green sequins and lurid greens leotards the costumes by Libby Todd were wonderfully bonkers and special mention must also go to the pre-show and interval play list with classics such as ‘Crazy Frog,’ ‘Who Let The Frogs Out’ and even some of Kermit’s classics!

The Frogs may not provide a profound look at the arts or the state of the world today but it does provide some silly escapism for a few hours and sometimes that can be just as important as poetic verses or political ideas, even if Shaw and Shakespeare may not agree.

The Frogs is on at Southwark Playhouse until 28th June. You can find out more and book tickets here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Hadestown, The Lightning Thief and Radiant Boy.