Using Aristophane’s The Frogs as a backdrop, Spymonkey take us on a comedic yet personal journey of grief and reinvention.
Spymonkey have been in the comedy business for decades, starting out way back in 1998, their journey began with Stiff, a black comedy about undertakers which went on to tour several countries. They gained more of a following with their hit show Cooped and since then they have built a rather impressive portfolio of productions, including Moby Dick which ran at the Lyric Hammersmith, and Oedipussy, created in collaboration with Emma Rice (Kneehigh), and writer Carl Grose.
Over recent years Spymonkey has seen a lot of change, with the sad passing of associate artist Stephan Kreiss in 2022, and founding associate Petra Massey moving across the pond to take up a residency in Las Vegas, Toby Park and Aitor Basauri remain as the artistic directors heading up the company. The now double-act have made a bold return to the stage with their new production The Frogs (co-written with Carl Grose), a chaotic, anarchic spectacle chock-full of clowning, innuendos, satire, slapstick, dramatic songs, and double-takes. Prepare for the fourth wall to be broken. A lot. Perhaps too much, some might think.
Using Aristophane’s 3000 year old play The Frogs as a backdrop to their own story, Parks and Basauri take us on a personal journey of grief and reinvention. Spymonkey have been contacted by eccentric Hollywood producer Patty Getty, offering them millions to do a ‘epoch-defining’ re-imagining of The Frogs, the oldest two-hander in recorded history, adapted by Getty’s niece Jacoba Williams. Greek God of wine, festivity and theatre Dionysus (Park), accompanied by his slave Xanthius (Basauri), journey through Hades in search of his favourite hero Heracles, hoping to bring him back from the dead. Throughout their mission the pair come face to face with an array of opposers, all played by versatile actress Williams. A frog-licking-induced hallucination throws a massive spanner into the works, and Park and Basauri become obsessed with bringing back their departed friend Stephan, rather than sticking to Williams’ script (much to her frustration). It’s a play within a play as the duo’s overacting (at least they are self-aware) causes them to fall into the ‘scenes in between’. We catapult between random snippets, including a detour into A Streetcar Named Desire, and a faux Ted Talk on theatre. It’s messy, but to be fair, that’s the Spymonkey style.
The cast of three deliver the comedy expertly, and despite it being a little too frantic at times it really is a masterclass in clowning. Jacoba Williams shines as the newest addition to the company, and it is fantastic to see the three of them perform with such vigour.
Costume and set design by Lucy Bradridge is exceptional and lends itself perfectly to the chaotic comedy. Williams’ Heracles bares it all in a muscle-bound suit, incredibly detailed from the lion’s head up top down to the impressively crafted genitalia which she thrusts to-and-fro, bringing the audience to cackling laughter. Park’s Dionysus stands tall in platform sandals, a historical nod to the ancient Greek ‘kothorni’, worn by actors in order to differentiate the social classes and importance of each character during a play. As Xanthius, Basauri is clad in tatty robes, baggy underpants and armed with a mop. As the men repeatedly joke, Williams got the best costumes out of the lot – incredible god-monster garments, brightly coloured, with tentacles and cartoonish headpieces. Radridge has also designed a brilliant set, with multiple levels for the actors to play with, and a revolving stage which is used in many of the gags.
The Frogs is manically entertaining, at times moving and thought-provoking. Spymonkey have made a fantastic return to the stage with this piece, and you can catch it at the Kiln Theatre until 2nd March.