Review Roundup: THE FROGS Opens at Southwark Playhouse

The Frogs is currently running at Southwark Playhouse, starring Kevin McHale. Performances will run through 28 June 2025. 

The Frogs is a comedy written in 405 b.c. by Aristophanes, freely adapted by Burt Shevelove, and even more freely adapted by Nathan Lane. The musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Can art save civilization? Let’s find out! Shaken by a divided and despairing political climate (sound familiar?), Dionysos and trusty sidekick Xanthias take a leap of faith - straight into Hades. Their mission? Find a cure for an ailing world. But when they reach the River Styx, they encounter Dionysos’ worst nightmare… frogs. Not your average pond dwellers, these amphibians are stubborn beings who resist change and are determined for the status quo to remain the same (sound familiar?) Will our dynamic duo outsmart these swampy naysayers and hop toward humanity’s salvation? Or will they get bogged down in their muddy resistance? This is an ancient tale retold as a laugh-a-minute musical comedy. See what the critics are saying...

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Clementine Scott, BroadwayWorld: A profound look at the human condition Frogs is not, and its lofty statements about whether art ought to function as escapism, as educational tool, or as route to pure beauty are never quite earned. But it’s still a lot of fun, and maybe that’s tonic enough in these troubled times.

David Jays, The Guardian: The musical never develops Dionysos’ daddy issues or frog phobia, or nails its notion that the ribbiting amphibians represent stick-in-the-mud grouches impervious to change. The frogs get a waddling ballet, in goggles, bobble toes and spangly waistcoats – choreographer Matt Nicholson devises nifty, wide-legged moves. But Shaw’s battle with Shakespeare, trading smug aphorism and voluptuous word-painting, is an awful slog, unleavened by Georgie Rankcom’s heavy-footed production.

Tim Bano, London Evening Standard: The show has been tinkered with too many times and you can see the layers of each era in every line, like a chunk of rock, striated with Aristophanes’s original, then Shevelove and Sondheim’s 1970s reworking, and Nathan Lane’s 2004 sassifying, and the added ad libs of today. At every moment you can tell who’s done what, and the result is a mishmash of styles and signatures. It’s easy to see the promise of a show told across millennia by so many great talents: Aristophanes, Sondheim, Lane, Artie from Glee. Easy, too, to see all the ways that promise is unfulfilled.

Cathie, Theatre & Tonic: At a running time of just over two hours, it does drag in tension at some points, especially in the second half, but mostly the tension is built to a satisfying end. It is a rare revival of this Sondheim musical, although not his finest hour, it is still worth watching and a mostly enjoyable night. If you enjoy Greek myths, frog-based puns and a hilarious night out, then this is the show for you.

Harriet Ruggiano, Everything Theatre:  The core challenge of The Frogs remains its source material. While Act I moves at a brisk and engaging pace, Act II becomes bogged down in lengthy scenes and loses some momentum. The play’s central message that art should serve as a guiding light in dark times struggles to fully emerge. Still, this production succeeds thanks to Rankcom’s sharp direction, Nicholson’s inventive choreography, and the unshakeable strength of the ensemble; this revival transforms a rarely performed Sondheim piece into a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre.

Sophie Eaton, West End Best Friend: THE FROGS seemingly has it all, a thought provoking narrative, a stellar cast and themes of artistic integrity.  If it was condensed into 90 minutes it would be pure comedy gold.  However it is a tad too lengthy! The second act being too heavy on the politics and taking far too long to make its point.  The first act however, is pure fun and frolicking and we guarantee you’ve never seen anything quite like this.

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