In one key respect, Lane’s version also has it all over the antic parody written by Aristophanes himself. “Words seem to fail them - even the simplest words.”Īt this early point, the show is already miles ahead of Burt Shevelove’s 1974 farcical treatment of the material, which focused on the theatrical wars of the period (between scrappy nonprofit experimentalists and moribund Broadway) and tried its damnedest to argue that theater was still relevant in an age infatuated with movies and television. “Have you listened to our leaders?” Dionysos replies. Although he’s too politically unengaged to make much of a foil for Dionysos, he knows enough to wonder what the government might have to say about this unauthorized trip they’re taking. Xanthias, in a shrewd second-banana performance by rubber-faced funnyman Roger Bart (who took over the role from “SNL” veteran Chris Kattan only days before opening night) has the well-honed survival instincts of a canny slave. It’s “a war we may not be able to win, a war we shouldn’t even be in,” he reminds Xanthias, the slave he has recruited to shlep his huge bag of togas and toiletries. With his laurel-winning perf of the life-affirming Greek god of theater and wine, Lane skips ahead with what appears to be his master plan to push legit theater into a comic renaissance.Īs scribe, Lane gives Dionysos good reason to embark on a trip to the underworld - to bring back to a world “starved of food for thought” a writer “who can speak to the problems of our society and give us comfort, wit and wisdom - and also challenge our complacencies.” Athens, the heart of the civilized world, is staggering from years of war with Sparta. Baggy eyes drooping from the troubles he’s seen, corners of his mouth turned up in wistful pursuit of a smile, his eternally optimistic sad-sack clown proves the ideal persona for Dionysos. While contributing six new songs to this version, Sondheim has wisely retained and smartly updated his hilarious “Instructions to the Audience,” warming up the crowd with cheeky lyrics like “When there’s a pause, please/Lots of applause, please./And we’d appreciate/Your turning off your cell phones while we wait.”Īnd once the principals make it to the underworld where the Frogs await (in William Ivey Long’s gloriously gaudy Day-Glo costumes), helmer Stroman pulls out the stops and delivers a production with so much manic energy and cheerful vulgarity that it should be obvious why the theater crowd is always dying to get into hell.Īs the star of his own party piece, Lane makes an endearing top banana.
Gleefully raiding from the bulging grab-bag of American musical-comedy tradition, Nathan Lane, Stephen Sondheim and Susan Stroman concoct a brash and breezy style covering everything from burlesque and vaudeville to Broadway extravaganza. But what the creatives do bring to the cause should cheer up theatergoers who have long despaired of seeing anything remotely political from indigenous scribes on stages north of Soho. Then she turned the conversation to the anti-transgender legislation under discussion in that state.That the collaborators didn’t go deeper into the theatrical vaults is more a pity than a tragedy.
Jennifer Williams, a transgender woman who also chairs the Trenton Republican Committee in New Jersey, has tried to win over conservative hearts from within.Īs the first openly transgender delegate to the 2016 Republican Convention in Cleveland, she went out of her way to meet people, she said. In one conversation with a high-profile delegate from South Carolina, Williams first connected with the man through common issues – economic policy, her family’s military background and her admiration for South Carolina’s then-Gov. "For every person who meets us, that’s maybe one less person who’s going to vote against us,” said one transgender Republican.LGBTQ conservatives are becoming increasingly concerned over whether the Republican Party is really the best fit for them.About 280 anti-trans measures involving athletics, education, healthcare or bathroom access were proposed in 2022.
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