Edward Alderton Theatre
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Lysistrata
by Aristophanes
Translated by Dudley FittsDirected by Derek Goulding
22-29 January 1983 (7 performances)
The women of Ancient Greece try withholding sex from their husbands, in order to put an end to the long-running Peloponnesian War...
Cast Diana Jean Midlane Ceres John Webster Minerva Gillian Johnson Lysistrata Vera Robinson Kalonike Stephanie Dungate Myrrhine Georgia Robinson First Woman Pam Leadley Second Woman Ann Kirby Lampito Sue Higginson Boita Donna Scrafton Anthea Ruth Burton Leto Lorri Simkins Third Woman Sylvia Graves Pauson Neal Flux Nereus Brian Warner Servant Lianne Glanville Agathon George Robinson Koryphaious (Male) Steve Marshall Chorus I (Male) John Midlane Chorus II (Male) Alan Rodman Koryphaious (Female) Brenda Winn Chorus I (Female) Maureen Hardwen Chorus II (Female) Fay Rose Commissioner Dave Hampton Constable & Sentry Bob Phillips Constable Patrick Moore Kinesias Paul Jennings Herald Andy Blackburn Athenian Ambassador Martin Heard Spartan Ambassador Dave Phillips Citizen Martin Shaw Handmaiden Helen Ayling Handmaiden Karen Everett
Crew Stage Manager Pearl Ayling Assistant Stage Manager Mike Higginson Set Design Derek Goulding Costumes The cast Lighting Gary Lacey Sound Bill Ayling Prompt Joanne Colyer
Review
A bawdy romp from the ancient Greeks
Brash and bawdy, nice and naughty - that was the way the cast played Aristophanes' Lysistrata at the Edward Alderton Theatre, Bexleyheath, last week. If there had been school bicycle shed in ancient Greece, this was the kind of humour that would have slid out from behind them.
It told the famous tale of Greek women led by Lysistrata, who withdrew their 'services' pending an ending to their menfolk's interminable warfare. And at the risk of shocking the socks off at least some members of the audience, the cast grasped the nettle firmly and played it for all it was worth.
Director Derek Goulding took care to ensure that coyness was kept well out of this production, and his players milked every last drop of smut and innuendo out of Dudley Fitts' uproarious translation. Which was exactly as it should have been.
This was just the right play to coax the company's best comedians out of the woodwork. In fact everyone got the chance to get on stage and ham it up like mad. George Robinson made a lovely job of the camp and mincing poet Agathon. Steve Marshall, John Midlane and Alan Rodman as a chorus of revolting old men, and Brenda Winn, Maureen Hardwen and Fay Rose as their scraggy sparring partners, had a great time doing a kind of "who can be the rudest?" routine.
This is a fairly wordy play, and one criticism I feel bound to make is that when there were a lot of bodies on stage some of the cast seemed to think they had become invisible. A bit more reaction and 'business' would not have gone amiss at times.
Set design (also by the director) was excellent - clean and streamlined, and complemented cleverly by Gary Lacey' skilful lighting.
I've saved the last word for the fearless Neal Flux, as pompous Pauson, who dared to bare his all (well almost) for the sake of the play and could certainly have taught Gypsy Rose Lee a few things about stripping...and hereby wins the title of 'Fastest Draw in Bexley with a Fruit Basket'.
E J
Bexley Times | 3 February 1983
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