Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton – until 3rd February 2024
Review by Amanda Allen
5*****
I was not sure quite what to expect from the Carl Grose & Spymonkey latest production, The Frogs. Loosely based on one of the oldest plays in the western canon written by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, it tells the story of Dionysus, played by Toby Park, and Xanthias played by Aitor Basauri, and their journey to the underworld in search of a lost friend. I can only say that Aristophanes must be turning in his grave, well rolling about laughing in it more likely! From the moment Xanthias, Dionysus and Jacoba Williams, playing everyone else, crept on to the stage as frogs dressed in voluminous, fluorescent rain capes, the audience was laughing. The comic timing between all three of them was testament to the many hours they must have spent working together, honing their skills, their comic genius, and a genuine connection between all three main actors.
Toby Park’s singing was a special treat, the hilariously funny frog song – “No sense – No tail, What a Queer Bird” went down extremely well with the audience. The characters were all indeed “between land and water, life and death, clever and stupid”. The use of music interspersed with the dialogue helped to keep the production rolling along, always interesting and never slowing down too much, whilst giving us a break from the sometimes manic action on stage.
The staging, designed by Lucy Bradridge, which used 99% recycled materials, was innovative and extremely effective. With a rotating dais and clever use of steps and platforms creating depth and breadth to a relatively small stage, thus keeping the production fully animated. The excellent props and costumes greatly assisted the company in portraying locations, humour, emotions and feeling within the play.
The inclusion of the community theatre frog chorus was also an added pleasure. We all felt that we could be one of those frogs! Although very amateur in comparison to the main actors, the chorus nevertheless added an extra layer of fun to this romp through an old Greek comedy. Again, costumed in voluminous rain capes the frog chorus was enjoyed by all. The use of puppets and puppetry within the play was another excellent way of portraying a lot with very little, the costume designers are to be congratulated on the excellent use of extending anatomy parts in many of the characters’ portrayed.
The audience ranging from children to pensioners all appeared to enjoy the comic clowning of the production and I am sure it will go on to sell out and Xanthias will fulfil his greatest fear, that of success, when it transfers to Kiln Theatre in London from Thursday 8th February to Saturday 2nd March.