LYSISTRATAby Aristophanes May 10 - June 9, 2002 cast - synopsis - photos - reviews/articles Is that a spear in your toga or are you just happy to see us? Athens and Sparta have been at war for years with no end in sight. What's a peace-loving girl to do? Lysistrata has the solution - she unites the women of Athens in a general sex strike to force the soldiers to come to their senses. Aristophanes' great comedy of gender politics has been a hit since 411 B.C. and Lysistrata is the perfect vehicle for us to welcome Cherry Jones back to the A.R.T. Company. Running time is approximately ninety minutes, with no intermission. Lysistrata is a co-production with the Prince Music Theater of Philadelphia. It marks the tenth anniversary of CrossCurrents - sponsored by Philip Morris Companies, Inc. - a multi-year collaborative effort between the A.R.T. and the Prince Music Theater, designed to create and sustain a body of new music theatre works. Special thanks to The Costas and Mary Maliotis Charitable foundation and the Gerondelis Foundation for their support of the presentation of classical Greek drama at the A.R.T. With the kind permission of Marian Seldes, a few interpolated situations have been borrowed from Gilbert Seldes's 1930 adaptation. |
CAST
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Lysistrata, an Athenian Woman | ... Cherry Jones |
| Kalonika, Lysistrata's neighbor | ... Karen MacDonald | |
| Myrrhina, a woman of Delphi | ... Chelsey Rives | |
| Penelope, a woman of Ithaca | ... Hannah Bos | |
| Lampito, a woman of Sparta | ... Stephanie Roth-Haberle | |
| Dipsas, a woman of Corinth | ... Amber Allison | |
| Belphragia, an old Athenian Woman | ... Paula Plum | |
| Old Men of Athens | ... Thomas Derrah ... Alvin Epstein ... Jeremy Geidt ... Remo Airaldi |
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| President of the Senate | ... Will LeBow | |
| Kinesias, Myrrhina's husband | ... Benjamin Evett | |
| Spartan Envoys | ... Remo
Airaldi ... Craig Doescher |
The Band: Michael Friedman, keyboards; Tim Denbo, bass guitar; Moises Sola, lead guitar; Leo Smataro, drums.
SYNOPSIS
The Greek city-states have been locked in civil war for twenty years. The rival provinces of Athens and Sparta struggle endlessly for control over contested territories, and the war threatens to wipe out the male population. Lysistrata, an Athenian woman, decides to take matters into her own hands. She summons women from all over Greece, and persuades them not to sleep with their husbands until a peace treaty has been ratified. Meanwhile the older women of Athens seize the Acropolis and the state treasury, cutting off funds for the war effort. Lysistrata's plan works with remarkable speed, and soon all Greek manhood had fallen on hard times.
PRODUCTION PHOTOS - click on any thumbnail and the full-size image will appear in a separate window
REVIEWS/ARTICLES
- Bay Windows - "A Modest Proposal: Dire predictions haven't kept the ART's `Lysistrata' from being a hit, smart and funny at the same time" - by Robert Nesti
- Boston Phoenix - "Lys and dick: Brustein leaves 'em laughing" - "Bob bids Farewell" - by Carolyn Clay
- Boston Phoenix - "The Homecoming: Cherry Jones returns for Lysistrata" - by Scott T. Cummings
- A.R.T. News - It's All Greek: Robert Brustein on adapting Lysistrata - by Helen Shaw
- A.R.T. News - After Aquarius: Michael Friedman talks to Galt MacDermot, composer for Lysistrata
- A.R.T. News - Sex Striks Through the Ages: The Legacy of Lysistrata - by Lucy Burns.
- A.R.T. Program Notes - Comedy of War: Director Andrei Serban discusses his production with A.R.T.'s resident dramaturg Gideon Lester
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American Repertory Theatre This page updated August 5, 2002 webmanager@amrep.org |
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