Reviewed by Kathryn
Ticket was gifted in return for an honest review.
Ticket was gifted in return for an honest review.
Mad as a box of frogs! Five Stars!
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| Photo by Manuel Harlan. |
I love all types of theatre but I’d yet to experience a production by SpyMonkey until my trip to Royal & Derngate on 24th January to see their latest production The Frogs. And what a fabulous experience it was!
Inspired by Aristophanes’ ancient play, this three hander had everything a comedy play could offer - slapstick, satire, pathos and tap dancing!
The stage was set with a ‘stone’ revolve, a large mirror flown high above stage right and a central platform with two staircases, underneath which were set all the props needed for the performance. A moving wardrobe trundle added variety to the stage and allowed scene changes to happen smoothly and simply.
The outstanding cast of Aitor Bassauri, Toby Park and Jacoba Williams don’t stop for a moment and they must be exhausted through the volume of dialogue, movement, costume and character changes…but the energy was infectious and the audience were laughing within seconds of the lights going up! It’s such a skill to perform a comedy, whilst breaking the fourth wall and leaving the audience wondering how much was ad lib and how much was scripted to seem like ad lib…neat and very clever! The camaraderie between the three of them is obvious and the teamwork to produce such quality is fantastic. I can only imagine what fun rehearsals were creating this piece of theatre.
Written by Carl Gross and the company, the use of so many theatrical tools is excellent - from Greek chorus to mime, musical theatre to dramatic monologues. Blending the classic Greek story with modern interpretations, additional scenes and some absolutely bonkers ideas was perfection!
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| Photo by Manuel Harlan |
Congratulations to the entire cast and creative team who have created and developed something so slick that the lighting and sound, set and costumes are ingrained in the performance so well that they happen and you know they’ve made an impact but without detracting from the action…smooth, clever and just brilliant!
A shout out to the community cast too who evidently were loving their involvement as…well, you’ll have to see the show to find out!
If you’re looking for a funny, enjoyable and completely mad night out at theatre, get your tickets to The Frogs - you won’t be disappointed!
The Frogs runs at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 3rd February and then transfers to Kiln Theatre, London from Tuesday 8th February to Saturday 2nd March. Tickets are available from https://spymonkey.co.uk/spymonkeys-the-frogs/
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| Photo by Manuel Harlan |
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