A U.K. revival of Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, and Nathan Lane's The Frogs, playing London's Southwark Playhouse Borough, begins performances May 23 ahead of a May 27 opening night. The run will continue through June 28, with Georgie Rankcom at the helm.
Glee star Kevin McHale is leading the cast as Xanthias, joined by Dan Buckley as Dionysos, Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Herakles, Carl Patrick as Charon, Bart Lambert as Shakespeare, Martha Pothen as Shaw, and Alison Driver as Ariadne, along with ensemble members Evonee Bentley-Holder and Milo McCarthy.
The role of Pluto is shared four ways throughout the run: May 23鈥�31, the role is played by Victoria Scone (RuPaul's Drag Race), who will be followed by Danielle Steers (Bat Out of Hell) June 2鈥�7, Sooz Kempner (Doctor Who) June 9鈥�14, and Jo Foster (Why Am I So Single?) June 16 to 21.
Set in a divided and despairing political climate, The Frogs follows Dionysos and trusty sidekick Xanthias as they take a leap of faith straight into Hades to find a cure for an ailing world. When they reach the River Styx, they encounter Dionysos鈥� worst nightmare: frogs. The musical is one of Sondheim's rarer works, originally written in 1971 for a student-directed production performed in Yale's swimming pool.
Originally adapted by book writer Shevelove, the Southwark production uses the additional adaptive work done by Lane for the 2004 Broadway revival. The creative team also includes musical supervisor Ben McQuigg, musical director Yshani Perinpanayagam, choreographer Matt Nicholson, set and costume designer Libby Todd, lighting designer Samuel Biondolillo, sound designer Joshua Robins, and orchestrator Tim Sutton. Adam Smith serves as production manager, with Waverley Moran as stage manager and Evie Graham-Brown as assistant stage manager. Casting is by Peter Noden.
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