Considering its ripe old age of 2,500 years, Aristophanes' "Lysistrata" is remarkably current. It strikes an intellectual chord both on paper and on stage and offends and provokes continuously. In an updated interpretation, the Spectrum Theatre Group looks at the play from a new angle and serves up a fresh, but not flawless, slice of theater.
When political circumstances inspired Aristophanes to wield his mighty pen and attack the Athenian bureaucracy in 411 B.C., "Lysistrata" was the result. It was originally a satiric take on the fighting between the Athenians and Spartans, representing a call to disarm. The Spectrum Theatre takes on a more contemporary conflict, setting the action during the Vietnam War in 1971.
An amusing Spartan Ambassador (David Wells) with a thick Russian accent represents the Communist forces. They face off against the Athenians, representing America and led by the equally funny Athenian Ambassador (Phil Worthington). The city's women, led by Lysistrata (Karen Lee), are sick of the war and their male companions' absence. Reluctantly, they swear to abstain from sex with their husbands until they agree to declare peace, and use their womanly wiles to take over the Athenian Capitol.
The lead players seem comfortable with their roles and bring a distinct touch to their performances. Lee heads the cast with a thoughtful yet humorous portrayal of Lysistrata, and the impressive Suzanne Chisholm is on par as Kalonike. As the leader of the Hawks, a mercenary group that incompetently attacks the women in the Capitol, Justin Humphreys manages a few gut laughs with his crotchety old man. At one point he delivers a hilarious line about pie that puts every scene and line in "American Pie" to shame in terms of sheer humor and shock value.
The supporting cast is uniformly good, particularly all six Doves (the female combatants) and Steven Shepard as the corrupt police commissioner. As a police officer, Matt Skernolis is amusing and has an unforgettable moment near the end, as he tears his shirt off and sings a modified version of the Doors' "Break on Through."
Modernizing and reshaping the play adds clarity to the events for contemporary audiences. Directors Danny Reid and Andrew Starner deserve credit for creatively reworking a great deal of Aristophanes' dialogue. Their words are not only modernized, but a great deal of the new dialogue is also pure poetry.
The Spectrum Group's set designers have reworked the drab Student Activity Building into a makeshift amphitheater, which allows for considerable audience involvement and grants the actors more freedom of movement as they parade around the four-sided stage. Characters peel off layers of clothing throughout, and the action climaxes with a go-go orgy to the tune of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love." This is not a play for the prudish.
In Aristophanes' vision, the males in the play wear erect phalluses on their crotches near the end of the play to demonstrate how sexually repressed they are. This production does not take such a drastic approach, but still effectively uses bulging sight gags to poke fun at the men who are unable to control their bodies.
The tone of "Lysistrata" is one of playful attack. The male characters are all carnally driven, testosterone-fueled boneheads who will do anything to relieve themselves sexually, and the minds of the females also stay on one track. Every character treats sex as casual and meaningless - except when it is used as a weapon.
The bombardment of sexual innuendo and profanity in the play would be inappropriate elsewhere but fits quite well here. However, this ensemble puts a bit too much faith in the script's vulgarity: They seem to think that the f-word will automatically send the audience into a laughing frenzy. Aristophanes was trying to blow the roof off of false dignity and respect for the sanctity of sex when he wrote "Lysistrata"; unfortunately, contemporary man already has little to no respect for sex.
A rare flubbed line is barely noticeable amid the smooth production that manages a somewhat epic scale, despite its small stage and lack of set changes. To bolster its contemporary context, the Spectrum Group intersperses audio and slide presentations that restate and reemphasize the important themes of gender equality and morals. But the projected images of the Vietnam War and the changing sexual politics of the late '60s are ultimately too numerous. The technique is akin to cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer.
Nevertheless, the play meditates on human nature and the arts of war, peace and sex; perhaps this production could bring Aristophanes' work the level of interest it deserves. Crude as it sometimes can be, the Spectrum Theatre's "Lysistrata" is highly enjoyable and worth a look.
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