REVIEW | Spymonkey’s The Frogs

Toby Park in The Frogs.  Photo by Manuel Harlan.

Written by Emmie

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

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The UK’s leading physical comedy ensemble, Spymonkey, takes on the oldest surviving double act in theatre literature with their production of The Frogs by Aristophanes. They’ve been making Theatre of the Funny since 1998 with dark, edgy comedy that has been praised for being ‘somewhere between Monthy Python, the Marx Brothers and Samuel Beckett’ (The Houston Chronicle).  

The Frogs tells the story of this duo’s journey from hitting rock bottom as a company to being rescued by the mega-rich philanthropist Patty Getty and her theatrically ambitious niece Pamela with an offer they can’t refuse - performing the classic Greek comedy at Patty’s legendary amphitheatre in Hollywood! 

Although it is a comedy, surfacing underneath this new production are two individuals navigating through the loss of their longstanding member Stephan Kreiss in August 2021 and their fourth member, Petra Massey who is on a long-term loan to the Las Vegas variety show she hosts. It’s an honest representation of rebuilding and adapting that is admirable. 

Drawing similar narratives to the one that Dionysus and Xanthias undertake in the Aristophanes’ play, Spymonkey and Carol Grose have presented The Frogs in a new and interesting perspective, with some huge meta-theatrical detours along the way as the cast fall into “the space between scenes”, break the fourth wall and ultimately try to curtail their over-acting. Spymonkey takes the Greek playwright's creation and uses it as a way to explore modern issues, before finally realising that Aristohpanes may not have all the answers they need.

There is a matter of urgency and pace at which this production unfolds with very little time for audiences to catch their breaths as Aitor Bassauri, Toby Park and Jacoba Williams take this material and run with it. There are some great moments when the duo discuss comedy as a form, but also showcase how varied it is through this show alone. This production is jampacked with mime, slapstick and even a tap-dancing frog chorus of community members.

The stage uses a small revolve which becomes a huge platform for those golden nuggets of brilliance, as well as a central platform which is used to its extremities with lots of props placed within its structure, including a moving wardrobe. There are some moments when the narrative is lost with so much material for them to work with, They’ve amped it up quite considerably so at times it doesn’t have the impact you’d probably expect. 

But with that said, Spymonkey’s innovative way of presenting comedy that will inspire hasn’t been lost with the addition of The Frogs, this is definitely a show worth checking out!

At Royal & Derngate Northampton until 3 Feb before Kiln Theatre, London 8 Feb - 2 March 2024.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆