Not up on your Greek Drama? All right, then maybe you remember the “Gilligan’s Island” episode where Ginger, Mary Anne and Mrs. Howell get fed up with being treated like second-class citizens, and build a separate camp to show the men that they wouldn’t be able to make it without the women. Mrs. Howell puts their action into context by—believe it or not—referencing Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, saying that it’s a story about women ignoring men. “Ignoring” is 1960s TV speak for “withholding sex.” On top of that, the women in the 411 B.C. play have a slightly loftier goal: to put a stop to the Peloponnesian War.
 All together now: The 24-member cast displayed equal enthusiasm for Aristophanes’ Lysistrata at Live Arts. |
Ah, so it’s clear now why Live Arts chose the play—even though there are no clear indications that similar tactics would work with the Bush/Cheney/Petraeus crowd. The question is, was our stellar theater organization better off making their point with modern material?
Absolutely not. True, as a group of women gather in the opening scene and toss around the idea of exercising power in the only way they’re able, the play feels outdated. (Imagine Hillary Clinton introducing a female celibacy bill rather than voting to authorize the Iraq War.) But it soon becomes clear that Aristophanes’ wily and bawdy comedy makes even 21st century TV fare such as “Two and a Half Men” seem like retirement home dinner theater. And, more important, ancient Greece’s utter acceptance of human physical urges allows for an attack on the natural absurdity of war more pungent than any we can muster today.
Live Arts not only made an inspired choice, but they also brought a great deal to the production table, from Charlotte Zinsser Booth and Kimberly Ramberg’s credible costume design, which includes the faux male, um, naughty bits that were a staple of all Greek comedies, to a 24-member cast whose discernible conviction and dedication compensate for their inconsistent talents—they make the whole acting thing look like a load of fun. Director Larry Goldstein, who infused Live Arts’ triumphant 2005 production of Noises Off with a frantic giddiness, is a nice fit for Greek comedy. The Dionysian frenzy that he and Movement Coach Brad Stoller whip up keeps the play locked within its lost world, allowing everyone in the audience to objectively analyze an alien culture, and some, perhaps, to pine for its release.