By Laura Kennelly
Making excellent use of scenic designer Ron Newell’s water-ringed environment, the sprightly cast of The Frogs threw themselves into an Alma Theatre matinee performance at Cain Park. Bright spots abounded in director Martin Friedman’s version, but even music by Stephen Sondheim and jokes by Nathan Lane weren’t enough to rescue Burt Shevelove’s 2004 adaptation of Aristophanes’ play (written c. 405 B. C.).
Greek comedies never seem to translate to modern times as well as Greek tragedies (such as Oedipus the King). What that says about human nature, I don’t want to speculate, but satire relies on assumptions and experiences shared by its intended audience. It’s very hard to translate (think of all the students who believe that Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal really advocated that the Irish sell babies to England as a food crop). There are a couple of jokes about politics and war that are funny, but most just seem tired. The dialogue was often hard to hear too and despite Dionysos’ advice early on to not worry if you can’t hear all the words, I wanted to.
Dan Folino’s Dionysos carries on valiantly (still using the southern accent from Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson) as the hippie Dionysos out on a trip to the Underworld. His mission is to save Athens by bringing back a good writer to enhance the arts: civilization’s best chance. He’s assisted by loyal Xanthias (Caitlin Elizabeth Reilly) and an ensemble of performers variously serving as Chorus, Charon, Herakles, Shakespeare and G.B. Shaw.
It’s telling that the best-written lines were delivered (and written originally) by Shakespeare (a gloriously believeable Mitchell Fields) and Shaw (Michael Regnier) in their witty “debate” to settle which one Dionysos should be bring back to save humanity.
Bottom Line: It was worth seeing simply to watch the cast nimbly navigate the pathway over a running stream created by Newell and to enjoy the beautiful environs of Cain Park.
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118