A new musical 2004 broadway cast a musical by stephen sondheim and burt shevelove based on the fifthcentury play of the same name by greek comedian aristophanes. Stephen sondheims the frogs comes to the jermyn street. The frogs vocal selections download free epub, pdf. Composerlyricist stephen sondheim climbing up through a trap door onto a rope made of awards that most people have never heard of hold on nathan, thats not what you said at all. Harmony, voice leading, and drama in three sondheim musicals. The frogs is a musical freely adapted by stephen sondheim and burt shevelove from the. Produced at yale swimming pool, connecticut, 20 may 1974 with larry blyden dionysos, michael vale xanthias, jeremy dempsey pinto, jerome geidt william shakespeare and anthony.
Pianovocal sheet music book by stephen sondheim 1930. Check out the frogs evening primrose by stephen sondheim on amazon music. Enter dionysus, disguised as heracles, with lionskin and cluby but with the high boots of tragedy and a tunic of saffron silk. By and by they came to a deep well, and one of them looked down into it, and said to the other, this looks a nice cool place. A japanese folktale once upon a time in the country of japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a ditch near the town of osaka, on the sea coast, while the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran through the city of kyoto. But one hot summer the marsh dried up, and they left it to look for another place to live in. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. Dionysus brings shakespeare back to the world of the living in the hope that art can save civilization. To be more precise only 4 times after 2004s on broadway. Burt shevelove, who wrote the book for forum, updated aristophanes play, and sondheim wrote both music and lyrics for its first production at yale in 1974. Gods of the theatre, smile on us you who sit up there stern in judgment smile on us you who look down on actors. It was originally staged in yales swimming pool with a chorus that included sigourney weaver and meryl streep and its song invocation and instructions to the audience has become a perennial in sondheim tributes and cabaret shows. The latest broadway version of the rarely performed stephen sondheim musical the frogs, an hilarious send up of greek comedy and satire, with a book revised and expanded by nathan lane, is to get.
Available for the first time this free adaptation of the original greek play by. George hearn a stephen sondheim evening 1983 lp release only a. A tale of two frogs, written by martha hamilton and mitch weiss, tells the story of how the two frog sisters literally get in over their heads when they fall into a pail one frog is known for being adventurous and impulsive, while the other one is lazy and cautious. Invocation and instructions to the audience by stephen sondheim. The frogs original broadway cast recording allmusic. Nathan lane as the cowardly lion sings if i only had a nerve duration. The stephen sondheim of a funny thing happened on the way to the forum is back, sort of, in the frogs. Frogs from temperate climates hibernate through the winter. A rare outing for a sondheim musical based on aristophanes the frogs, at the jermyn street theatre, london. Learning about frogs in kindergarten is such a fun activity for the classroom. The frogs evening primrose by stephen sondheim on amazon. Into the woods music and lyrics by stephen sondheim book by james lapine.
Thirty years later, nathan lane expanded the original story, and sondheim wrote six new songs for a limited broadway run of the frogs. But the actors and dancers will also perform on the whitetiled rectangular pool deck. It was the milking time at the barn and the frogs accidentally jumped into a bucket half filled with. You who sit up there stern in judgment, smile on us. The small frog jumped into the water with joy, the big frog followed. Stephen sondheims 1981 musical merrily we roll along is in the middle of a twoweek run at the new york city center as part of an encores. A group of frogs was traveling through the woods and two of them fell into a deep pit. The frogs at the back of the scene is the house of heracles. For the first to thirdgrade set, frogs are an endless source of fascination, especially when looked at very close up. Bbc proms 2010 sondheim at 80 the frogs invocation and instructions to the audience simon russell beale daniel evans. Sondheim, as surveyed through his fourteen musicals that have appeared on. By combining parts of fretyag and esslin diagrams with berrys musical intensity. This musical is ideal for a regional theatre looking to inject a bit of greek satire into its season.
The uk premiere of stephen sondheims musical the frogs will run at the jermyn street theatre from 14 march to 8 april 2017, with an official opening on 16 march 2017 based on aristophanes 405 comedy, the musical has been freely adapted by burt shevelove and even more freely adapted by nathan lane, featuring music and lyrics by sondheim. Join stageagent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Lyrics by stephen sondheim, music by leonard bernstein 19181990. The frogs original, musical, comedy, broadway opened in new york city jul 22, 2004 and played through oct 10, 2004. Sondheim frogs, the revival free ebook download as pdf file. Dionysos himself gets a boatride surrounded by 24 waterspouting frogs, who will be making sevenfoot dives and swimming underwater to a dissonant waltz. The frogs song list including song titles, associated characters and recommended audition songs. Music and lyrics by stephen sondheim book by burt shevelove and nathan. Ill my song, shout, if need be, all day yong, until ive learned to master your koax. For a long time, stephen sondheims 1974 compact offering the frogs was known for two things. The frogs is a musical freely adapted by stephen sondheim and burt shevelove from the frogs, an ancient greek comedy by aristophanes.
The frogs plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and performance video clips. The latest broadway version of the rarelyperformed stephen sondheim musical the frogs, a sendup of greek comedy and satire, with a book revised and expanded by nathan lane, is to get its uk premiere in 2017 at jermyn street theatre press nights are 16 and 17 march the frogs is loosely based on a comedy written in 405 bc by aristophanes, freely adapted for today by burt. The frogs study guide contains a biography of aristophanes, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Invocation and instructions to the audience lyrics. The frogs is a solid mixture of jokes that would be home in vaudeville as well as academia. Serving our savior all of the time, in all of life, with all of our heart allinone sunday school volume 1. They swam in the pond happily, they crossed the pond into the barnyard having fun and playing on their way, leaping with joy. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as. All sondheim, volume 1 all sondheim, volume 2 all sondheim, vol 3. You said mel brooks was the one who was going to write the b nathan lane cuts the rope and sondheim falls back through the trap door.
The frogs stays true to its heritage, mixing aristophanic pratfall satire with a sondheim score that swings from witty to pretty to rambunctious, but it also mirrors the greek original for the serious issue of the role of the arts in a world beset by war and folly. He is followed by xanthias, seated on a donkey and carrying an immense hale of ggs 0 porters pole. After it was delivered, it has attracted the attention of sondheim, who made a successful work, from the point of view of critics, but that was not so popular with viewers that it never often resurrected after its premiere. Now he is the greek god dionysos in a new, completely revised, fulllength, two act version of sondheim and sheveloves the frogs, based on. By 1985, 55yearold broadway songwriter stephen sondheims renown was attested to not only by the major productions given his musicals, each accompanied by an original broadway cast album, but also by the stage and disc anthologies of his work, including side by side by sondheim, a 1976 london revue. Stephen sondheim and scott ellis discussing the creation of their shows from inception to.
William shakespeare competes with shaw for the title of best playwright, which he wins. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. Once adult frogs reach maturity, they will assemble at a water source such as a pond or stream to breed. Stephen sondheim sheet music books scores buy online. Adult frogs are preyed upon by birds, large fish, snakes, otters, foxes, badgers, coatis, and other animals. See tiny poison dart frogs and mammoth bullfrogs, as nic bishops amazing images show the beauty and diversity of frogs from around the globe.
Dionysus, george bernard shaw and shakespeare collide in sondheims satirical tribute to greek comedies. The internet classics archive the frogs by aristophanes. Dramatis personae xanthias, servant of dionysus dionysus heracles a. Sondheim frogs, the revival aristophanes performing arts. Sondheim at 80 the frogs invocation and instructions to the audience duration. A japanese folktale december 15, 20 by chris kincaid 36 comments on the two frogs. Company, it took follies, a little night music, the frogs, and pacific overtures for him. In 1974, more than 24 centuries worth of theater complaints later, burt shevelove wrote the book to the musical adaptation of the frogs, with music and lyrics by stephen sondheim. The frogs by stephen sondheim 1930 softcover sheet. Stephen sondheim kennedy center honors angela lansbury, bernadette peters, scott bakula. Baritonebass with cds of performances and accompaniments book2cd pack favorite sacred classics for solo singers favorite classics for solo singers with cd medhigh voice stephen.
Who will win and have the honor of becoming reincarnated. Some writers have referred to company as a revusical, combining the. Voice, piano accompaniment sheet music book by stephen sondheim 1930. A guide to the work of stephen sondheim, including production information, publications, recordings, a complete song listing and more. That may sound more like shakespeare than shaw, but the musical is more nathan lane and stephen sondheim. Stephen sondheims the frogs is hopping into the west end. Marry me a little, a 1981 offbroadway musical built out of songs cut from his other shows.
The frogs stephen sondheim the guide to musical theatre. In the musical, dionysus, despairing of the quality of living dramatists, travels to hades to bring george bernard shaw back from the dead. Act 1, scene 1prologue into the woods act 1, scene 2cinderella at the grave, hello, little girl, i guess this is goodbye, maybe. Quite a few comments have been posted about the frogs. Jermyn street theatre, london funny things happen on the way to hades in this version of aristophanes civicminded comedy about the.