The Frogs?

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 5/3/08 at 7:40pm

So I was aimlessly surfing IBDB when I came across the Frogs. Now I have a question:
How did this flop?
Let's see the pedigree: Susan Stroman, Nathan Lane, Roger Bart, Sondheim...
What was wrong with it?

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 5/3/08 at 7:43pm

It was produced by a non-profit, so flop isn't an applicable categorization.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/3/08 at 10:08pm

You should purchase the CD. It's actually pretty funny and surprisingly profound at times.

[misto625]

Posted: 5/3/08 at 10:18pm

I saw the show in previews, before Roger Bart joined the show and Chris Kattan was still in the cast. I wanted to like the show, but I couldn't. Act II was just flat and boring, when the actual main event of the debate between Shakespeare and Shaw takes place. The show had some funny moments to be sure, but overall it was slightly weird, the title song looked silly, and I can't remember the rest of the things wrong with it. Maybe I can think more later. I am glad I saw the show, as I got to see Nathan Lane and Burke Moses live. I later saw Pia Glenn and Michael Siberry in Spamalot and loved their performances there. Not the best musical Lincoln Center did (and I'm not thinking of Light in the Piazza as the #1 choice either.)

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 12:12am

since when does Susan Stroman have pedigree :-P

I haven't seen the show, but I love the recording. I can, however, see how this could've gone horribly wrong in production.

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 12:17am

It's just so...dull, IMO.

[noodles2]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 2:19am

tyler hanes.....hello!:)

[MrsVampyre]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:37pm

I saw the show and loved it. But there were elements of the show that should have been reduced. There was too much dancing for one thing. For another, people were expecting another show like Forum (which also had music by Sondheim).

The play was staged very much in the style of a traditional greek play. Which for a modern audience is harder to follow. This was a message play.. very much keeping to the original work by Aristopheis (sp?).

Had some of the dancing been cut, and the traveling scene reduced the play would have been tigher and easier to follow.

The interesting thing, is perhaps this play is an example of giving part of the creative team (Stroman and Sondheim) too much freedom, and the storyline was lost. Sondeim wrote new songs for the show. The man is an amazing talent, and his music wondeful. Storman had just won another Tony. The director should have been willing to tell them... that cuts needed to be made.

Nathan Lane has to be commended, as he was the creative force in bringing the show to the stage. Lane was the one to convince both Stroman and Sondheim to work on the project. He also did the adaptation of Burt Shevelove's adaptation of the play by Aristophanies. Lane was also self aware enough to leave the directing to someone else. That having done the adaptation, and plying the lead, he would be spreading himself too thin. But, I suspect that he would have done a very creditable job as the director.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:42pm

Stroman is what was wrong with it, not a clue what to do with some great material and performers.

[MrsVampyre]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:16pm

Agreed. The dacing after a point got to be tedious and too much of it. To the point that it took away from the storyline, instead of enhancing, and moving the story along.

The only music I felt was too long was the traveling, and how it was staged. The rest of the music fit the show better. Hearing the CD is actually a better experience than dealing with all the dancing. But as a whole I did enjoy the show. The invocation to the audience is funny, topical, and a fun piece.

Also getting rid of Chris Kattran was the right move. He was terrible, and was upstaging the others actors every chance he got.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/5/08 at 3:27pm

Chris Hanson was interviewing a guy on Dateline's To Catch A Predator who was wearing a The Frogs t-shirt. Apparently he was trying to lure a kid.

I know. Random.



Updated On: 5/5/08 at 03:27 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/5/08 at 3:29pm

Random and CREEPY!

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/5/08 at 3:35pm

God, like theatre doesn't have bad enough of a reputation. At least it wasn't any known show.

[once a month]

Posted: 5/5/08 at 3:53pm

I actually thoroughly enjoyed the choreography and the entire first act. When the debate began, the torture did too! Seeing Nathan on bungee chords was very funny.