Lysistrata Jones

Last updated
Lysistrata Jones
Lysistrata Jones Playbill cover.jpg
Opening Night Playbill Cover
Music Lewis Flinn
LyricsLewis Flinn
Book Douglas Carter Beane
Basis Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Productions2011 Broadway

Lysistrata Jones is a musical comedy adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy Lysistrata . [1] The book is by Douglas Carter Beane and the score is by Lewis Flinn. [1] After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run with Transport Group Theatre Company, [2] the show opened on Broadway in December 2011 [3] and closed in January 2012. The show tells the tale of the men on a losing college basketball team whose cheerleader girlfriends refuse to have sex with them until they win a game. [4]

Contents

Premise

The plot of the musical is inspired by the plot of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata, with some artistic liberties to bring the story in to the 21st century. [1] [5] In the original play, Lysistrata leads the women of Athens to stop having sex with their husbands and lovers until the long-lasting Peloponnesian War is finally ended. [6] In the musical, the men's basketball team at fictional Athens University has lost every game for the last 30 years when a cheerleader named Lysistrata "Lyssie J." Jones transfers to the school. Lyssie J. inspires the girls at the school to stop having sex with the team members until they finally win a game. [7]

Productions

The musical premiered at the Dallas Theater Center, running from January 15 to February 14, 2010 under the title Give It Up! [8] [9]

It was next produced by Transport Group at the Judson gymnasium in Greenwich Village in May and June 2011. [10] The show began previews on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on November 12, 2011 and officially opened on December 14, 2011. [7] It was directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges, with sets by Allen Moyer, costumes by David C. Woolard and Thomas Charles LeGalley and lighting by Michael Gottlieb. [11] The musical closed on January 8, 2012 after 34 previews and 30 regular performances. [12] [13] According to Playbill , "The usually powerful chief critic of the New York Times raved about it downtown and uptown, penning a genuine 'money' review for its commercial transfer, but, ultimately, there was not enough box-office interest to support the starless musical." [14]

A majority of the original cast reunited for a one-night-only concert version of the show at Joe's Pub on April 9, 2012. [15]

Lysistrata Jones returned to New York at the Ophelia Theatre, Astoria on March 16, 2018. [16]

Characters and original cast

Character Dallas Theater Center
(2010)		 Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway
(2011)
Lysistrata Jones Patti Murin
Hetaira Liz Mikel
Michelangelo "Mick" Jackson Andrew Rannells Josh Segarra
Xander LeeCurtis Holbrook Jason Tam
Robin Smythe Lindsay Nicole Chambers
Myrrhine Moore Carla Duren LaQuet Sharnell
Cinesias Ray Telly Leung Alex Wyse
‘Uardo CortezXavier CanoAlexander Aguilar
Stratyllis "Tyllis" CarterJustin KeyesAto Blankson-Wood
Lampito KanagawaKatie Boren
Cleonice SanchezNoemi Del RioKat Nejat
Harold *Preston SadleirTeddy Toye

* In the pre-Broadway production, the character of Harold is called Gustaf Angstrom.

Musical numbers

Reception

Transport Group's production received universally good reviews. Review aggregator Did He Like It shows "thumbs up" from all five leading critics. [17] Ben Brantley of the New York Times called the show "effervescent, tasty and surprisingly filling." [18] Steven Suskin in Variety issued praise for "a plot that launches a thousand laffs, old and new...[with] jokes about Amelia Earhart and Kitty Dukakis in the same exchange -- both of which land." [19] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said the show was "an obscene amount of fun". [20] David Sheward in Backstage pointed out "Each of the characters starts out as a broad stereotype—just as Aristophanes' figures are—but Beane turns the cultural expectations inside out, creating complex people within a comic context." [21]

Brantley reviewed the Broadway production favorably: "the production that opened on Wednesday night at the Walter Kerr Theater warrants not only sighs of relief but also at least a few lusty cheers." [22]

Cast recording

Broadway Records released the original cast recording of the Broadway musical, Lysistrata Jones, featuring music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn and book by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane. The recording was released on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The album features the complete Broadway score as well as a special bonus track.

The album is produced by Lewis Flinn and Dean Sharenow. Van Dean and Kenny Howard are executive producers, along with Douglas Carter Beane, Sase Sham, Jana Shea, and David Huntington. The liner notes will include essays from the creative team, as well as complete lyrics. The track listing is as follows:

  1. Right Now (Opening)
  2. Right Now (Party Time)
  3. Just Once
  4. Change the World
  5. No More Giving It Up
  6. Lay Low
  7. I Don't Think So
  8. You Go Your Way
  9. Where Am I Now?
  10. Writing on the Wall
  11. Hold On
  12. Don't Judge a Book
  13. Right Now (Operetta)
  14. When She Smiles
  15. Hold On (reprise)
  16. The Final Game
  17. Give it Up!
  18. Never Say Never (Curtain Call)
  19. Bonus Track: Hold On (with Jennifer Holliday)

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2012 Tony Award Best Book of a Musical Douglas Carter Beane Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical Nominated
Astaire AwardOutstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway ShowPatti MurinNominated
Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show Jason Tam Nominated
American Theatre Wing's Henry Hewes Design Award Nominations Costume Design David C. Woolard and Thomas Charles LeGalleyNominated

Film

It was announced that Lysistrata Jones will be made into a film directed by Andy Fickman. [23]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lysistrata</i> Comedy by Aristophanes

Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BCE. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city states by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was the only thing they truly and deeply desired. Lysistrata persuades the women of the warring cities to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace—a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes.

<i>How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying</i> (musical) 1961 musical by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows, Jack Harlow, and Willie Gilbert

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a 1961 musical by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name. The story concerns young, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, who, with the help of the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, rises from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company.

Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre and film. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/book writer Lynn Ahrens. They are best known for writing the Broadway musicals Ragtime, which was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and won the Tony for Best Original Score; Once on This Island, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, the Olivier Award for London's Best Musical, and was nominated for a Grammy Award and eight Tony Awards; and Seussical, which was nominated for the Grammy Award. Flaherty was also nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his songs and song score for the animated film musical Anastasia.

Douglas Howard Sills is an American actor and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Kuhn</span> American actress and singer (born 1958)

Judy Kuhn is an American actress, singer and activist, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song "Colors of the Wind", which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<i>Cinderella</i> (Rodgers and Hammerstein musical) Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is a musical written for television, but later played on stage, with music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based upon the fairy tale Cinderella, particularly the French version Cendrillon, ou la petite pantoufle de verre, by Charles Perrault. The story concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters, who dreams of a better life. With the help of her fairy godmother, Cinderella is transformed into a princess and finds her prince.

Judy Kaye is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, Mamma Mia!, and Nice Work If You Can Get It.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Rannells</span> American actor (born 1978)

Andrew Scott Rannells is an American actor. He is best known for originating the role of Elder Kevin Price in the 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He received his second Tony nomination in 2017 for his performance as Whizzer in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos. Other Broadway credits include Hairspray (2005), Jersey Boys (2009), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014), Hamilton (2015), The Boys in the Band (2018), and Gutenberg! The Musical! (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McMartin</span> American actor

John Francis McMartin was an American actor of stage, film and television.

Douglas Carter Beane is an American playwright and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Luker</span> American actress (1961–2020)

Rebecca Luker was an American actress, singer, and recording artist, noted for her "crystal clear operatic soprano" and for maintaining long runs in Broadway musicals over the course of her three-decade-long career. The New York Times compared her to actresses such as Barbara Cook and Julie Andrews.

The Country Club is an off-Broadway play written by Douglas Carter Beane.

<i>Titanic</i> (musical) 1997 musical based on the sinking of RMS Titanic

Titanic is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone. It is based on the story of the RMS Titanic which sank on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912.

<i>The Scottsboro Boys</i> (musical) Musical

The Scottsboro Boys is a musical with a book by David Thompson, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Based on the Scottsboro Boys trial, the musical is one of the last collaborations between Kander and Ebb prior to the latter's death. The musical has the framework of a minstrel show, altered to "create a musical social critique" with a company that, except for one, consists "entirely of African-American performers".

Dan Knechtges is a director and choreographer, for musicals, opera, television, film and music videos. He is Artistic Director of Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas.

Transport Group Theatre Company is a non-profit, off-Broadway theatre company in New York City that stages new works and revivals of plays and musicals, with a focus on American stories told in visually progressive way.

Pam MacKinnon is an American theatre director. She has directed for the stage Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. She won the Obie Award for Directing and received a Tony Award nomination, Best Director, for her work on Clybourne Park. In 2013 she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She was named artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California on January 23, 2018.

<i>Rodgers + Hammersteins Cinderella</i> (Beane musical) Musical by Rodgers, Hammerstein and Beane (2013 adaptation)

Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is a musical in two acts with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Douglas Carter Beane based partly on Hammerstein's 1957 book. The story is derived from the fairy tale Cinderella, particularly the French version Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre, by Charles Perrault. The story concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother. She dreams of a better life, and with the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella is transformed into an elegant young lady and is able to attend the ball to meet her Prince. In this version, however, she opens the Prince's eyes to the injustice in his kingdom.

<i>Fun Home</i> (musical) Musical adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori

Fun Home is a musical theatre adaptation of Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name, with music by Jeanine Tesori, and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The story concerns Bechdel's discovery of her own lesbian sexuality, her relationship with her closeted gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life. It is told in a series of non-linear vignettes connected by narration provided by the adult Alison character.

<i>Queen of the Mist</i>

Queen of the Mist is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Michael John LaChiusa. Queen tells the story of Annie Edson Taylor. Produced by Transport Group Theatre Company, the musical first opened Off-Broadway in 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Official Website for Lysistrata Jones on Broadway :: Synopsis, archived from the original on 2011-12-18, retrieved 2011-12-13
  2. ↑ Official Website for LYSISTRATA JONES on Broadway :: FAQ, archived from the original on 2011-12-21, retrieved 2011-12-13
  3. ↑ Stern, Marlow (December 14, 2011). "Lysistrata Jones: Broadway's Naughty New Musical". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  4. ↑ Blank, Matthew (2011-11-10), A Cover Story: Lysistrata Jones
  5. ↑ Simonson, Robert (2011-12-10), 2,500 Years in the Making, Lysistrata Jones Courts Broadway , retrieved 2011-12-14
  6. ↑ Lysistrata , retrieved 2011-12-14
  7. 1 2 Jones, Kenneth (2011-12-14), Lysistrata Jones, the Gum-in-Cheek Pop Musical That Borrows From Ancient Greece, Opens on Broadway
  8. ↑ "'Give It Up!' Listing" dallastheatercenter.org, accessed December 15, 2011
  9. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "'Give It Up!', Beane and Flinn's Musical Battle of the Sexes, Opens in Dallas Jan. 22" Archived 2010-01-25 at the Wayback Machine , Playbill.com, January 22, 2010
  10. ↑ "'Lysistrata Jones' Production, transportgroup" TransportGroup.Org, accessed January 4, 2012
  11. ↑ Official Website for Lysistrata Jones on Broadway :: Cast, archived from the original on 2011-10-18, retrieved 2011-12-13
  12. ↑ Jones, Kenneth." 'Lysistrata Jones', the Broadway Musical Comedy That Borrows From Ancient Greece, Closes Jan. 8" Archived 2012-01-09 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, January 8, 2012
  13. ↑ Healy, Patrick. "'Lysistrata Jones' to Close", The New York Times, January 3, 2012
  14. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "'Lysistrata Jones', the Broadway Musical That Borrows From Ancient Greece, Will Give It Up on Jan. 8" Archived 2012-01-08 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, January 3, 2012
  15. ↑ "BWW TV EXCLUSIVE: The LYSISTRATA JONES Reunion Concert - Douglas Carter Beane & More!". BroadwayWorld.com. April 10, 2012.
  16. ↑ Lysistrata Jones opheliatheatre.org
  17. ↑ Lysistrata Jones (Off-Broadway) Off-Broadway Reviews, archived from the original on 2011-11-21, retrieved 2011-12-14
  18. ↑ Brantley, Ben (2011-06-05), "Happy Sweating and Singing", The New York Times, retrieved 2011-12-14
  19. ↑ Suskin, Steven (2011-06-05), "Lysistrata Jones", Variety, retrieved 2011-12-14
  20. ↑ Rooney, David (2011-06-05), "Lysistrata Jones -- Theater Review", The Hollywood Reporter, retrieved 2011-12-14
  21. ↑ Sheward, David (2011-06-05), Lysistrata Jones , retrieved 2011-12-14
  22. ↑ Brantley, Ben."Theater Review. Yes, Even Sexting Is Off Limits" The New York Times, December 14, 2011
  23. ↑ Kroll, Justin (20 June 2013). "Andy Fickman Going All the Way With 'Lysistrata Jones'". Variety. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.