Review: The Frogs (Southwark Playhouse Borough)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Surreal Sondheim musicals are like buses. You wait for one to arrive in London and then two come along at once... filled with some of the wackiest characters you're likely to meet. While Sondheim's final musical Here We Are is entertaining and perplexing audiences in equal measure at National Theatre, a comparatively obscure one of his works gets a rare revival as The Frogs leaps into Southwark Playhouse Borough for a limited run. Would this musical leave me jumping for joy?

Originally an Ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, The Frogs was freely adapted by Sondheim and Burt Shevelove and revised by Nathan Lane in 2004, last seen in London in 2017. The story features the Greek god Dionysus and his trusty sidekick Xanthias traveling to Hades in response to the current political climate (it says it all when even Hell seems like a better option). Their hope to find a cure for this unrest is to bring George Bernard Shaw back from the dead. Nobody said the road to Hell would be easy and Dionysos comes face to face with his worst nightmare… frogs! Oh, and Shakespeare is there too, of course.

If that sounds bizarre even for a surreal Sondheim musical, you would be right. The plot may not be the most substantial but it is all about the fun in getting to the end of it, which I’m assured did actually happen. At times, I struggled to make sense of what was actually happening and why, but as soon as I gave up trying to find answers and just embraced the madness of it all, it became all the more enjoyable. Producers The Grey Area have form for reviving lesser-known works of Sondheim after their brilliant production of Anyone Can Whistle at the same venue back in 2022, and while The Frogs doesn’t quite match the dizzying heights of that production, it very much feels like an extension of that weird and wonderful world.

You’ve heard of the phrase “batsh*t crazy” - I would go one further and describe The Frogs as “frogsh*t crazy” but delightfully so. It proves to be frequently funny with an immediately obliterated fourth wall and updated references to include a great gag on Bad CInderella (rather fittingly for a musical set in Hell). References to its star casting (Glee star Kevin McHale) also prove hilarious, while the absurd humour that dominates the first Act sets a high standard and matches it consistently throughout.

The problem starts after the interval. It all starts to fall apart in Act Two, losing the momentum and losing its way a bit, feeling like a different beast altogether at times. An obvious comparison would be to Here We Are which also feels like two separate shows joined together - though that at least has the excuse of remaining unfinished on Sondheim’s passing. Its biggest downfall comes from an extended and overlong showdown between George Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare. This sequence drastically slows the pacing and made me aware of how long the show was going on for - something the speedy and satisfying First Act never came close to doing. Though this is more a commentary on the original text, more than the production itself, it did noticeably fail to match the high standard set earlier.

Georgie Rankcom’s direction delights throughout, with even the aforementioned Shaw and Shakespeare showdown having its moments. Her creativity is joyous to watch come to life as is her love of all things silliness and all things theatre - particularly the silliness of theatre. With her tongue in her cheek and a knowing wink to the audience, The Frogs is at its best when Rankcom is allowed to run free with the material, bringing Ancient Greece kicking and screaming into the 21st Century - a prime example of this is the new addition of Kevin McHale’s phone call with some great gags in that short sequence. The limitations with the material are more noticeable in the second act, though Rankcom works her magic to minimise this as much as possible.

Speaking of Kevin McHale, though he doesn’t so much lead this production, disappearing for a large chunk of the second act, much has been made about his UK stage debut. Known across the world for his time as Artie in Glee, McHale only made his stage debut in New York last year, making this his second role in theatre. The question of what took him so long springs to mind after seeing how fantastic and charismatic he is. As Xanthias, he thrills with a playful performance, interacting with the audience and bringing joy to the production. Jumping in headfirst to the campiness of this production, at times it seems as if the audience is watching the story unfold through his eyes - such is the nature of his huge presence on stage, he becomes very much missed when the story sidelines him for a large chunk.

Dan Buckley leads the cast as Dionysos in a confident and comic performance that hits every beat perfectly. With vocals every bit as accomplished as his acting, he impresses at every turn. It is the double act he forms with McHale’s Xanthias that really makes the stage come alive, with their dynamic providing the lion's share of laughs, particularly in the opening moments in Act Two requiring their dynamic to change, albeit temporarily. They’re not the double act on show here as Martha Pothen and Bart Lambert become hilarious rivals as Shaw and Shakespeare respectively (think Ant and Dec if they were literary giants). Though I wasn’t a fan of the overlong sequence they dominate personally, I couldn’t fault their own larger-than-life performances.

Most of the cast double as roles in the ensemble while each getting their own turn in the spotlight in often snappy but memorable roles. One highlight is the fantastic Joaquin Pedro Valdes showcasing what a triple threat performer he is as Herakles, with an athletic performance of big musical number ‘Dress Big’. Another standout in the cast is Carl Patrick who takes on not one but two memorable roles in The Frogs. Though much of his time is spent as Charon, it is his brief appearance as Aeakos in Act Two that really had me howling in what is undoubtedly the funniest sequence of the night. Through his exaggerated characterisation and repeated cries of “Vengeance”, he delivered a comic masterclass and left me longing for a spin-off focused on this seldom seen character.

The role of Pluto is being shared by different performers throughout the run in what is essentially a cameo appearance. Over the next few weeks, Danielle Steers, Sooz Kempner and Jo Foster will all be appearing but it was the turn of RuPaul’s Drag Race star Victoria Scone taking on the role at this performance. Seemingly channelling Kim Woodburn, it might not be the meatiest of roles but she sure put her stamp on it and received a rapturous response in doing so.

The Frogs may not be one of Stephen Sondheim’s most performed, revered or even known works, and for good reason - though he was a master at what he does, the music making up this show isn’t exactly his best, with the strongest numbers peaking too soon in Act One in the form of the hilarious ‘Invocation and Instructions To The Audience’ and ‘Dress Big’. The music becomes far more sparing in Act Two, again reminiscent of Here We Are in its lack of Act Two musical numbers. This means the biggest selling point of the show is that of the book, with the music more uneven than you would expect at a Sondheim musical.

Though it is far from perfect, there is much to love about this production of The Frogs. Yes, it is inconsistent and has a few problems of its own, but I attribute that more to the original musical and my own personal response to that. As this is the only production of The Frogs I have seen, I can only hazard a guess at that, but from what I have seen from the direction, I would call this a fantastic production of a less-than-fantastic musical. Any chance to see a Sondheim work should be taken, and I am glad I can now cross this one off my list. It might not be ribbeting, but a fabulous cast and some hilarious moments mean it hops along pleasantly enough and never comes close to croaking.

The Frogs plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 28th June. Tickets from https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/the-frogs/

You can listen to my conversation with star Kevin McHale in this weeks episode of All That Chat.

Photos by Pamela Raith