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Lysistrata Jones
Playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre at 219 West 48th Street. It opens on December 14, 2011 and runs until September 2, 2012.
This is a modern update of the Greek drama Lysistrata in which the women of Athens denied their men sex until they stopped going to war.
Patti Murin originated the role of Lysistrata Jone at the Dallas Theatre Center in 2010. It was called "Give It Up". In 2011 it was reprise with the Transport Group at the Judson Memorial Church gym in Greenwich Village, NYC.
The playwright Douglas Carter Beane won a Drama Desk Award for outstanding Book of a Musical and nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for "Xanadu".
Music and lyrics are by Lewis Finn who was nominated for a Tony for "The Little Dog Laughed".
Directed and Choreographed by Dan Knechtges. He was nominated for a Tony as Best Choreographer and Drama Desk Award for outstanding choreographer for "Xanadu".
It opens with Hetaira (Liz Mikel) looking like a Greek Goddess (she also play a madame and adviser) talking to the women of Athens who have arrived from the aisles with hoods on their heads. This is the part in history were the women of Athens decide to hold out on their sexual favors.
The story is about Athens University not winning a basket ball game in thirty two years. Lysistrata Jones (Patti Murin) tells her boyfriend Mick (Josh Segarra) who is captain of the basketball team if they don't win a game she's not having sex with him until they do. She persuades her friends to do the same. Cleonice (Kat Nejat), Lampito (Katie Boren), Myrrhine (La Quet Sharnell) all agree they will not have sex with their boyfriends, reluctantly. Xander (Jason Tam) and Robin (Lindsay Nicole Chamber) two students Lysistrata met in the library join in on the protest.
The rest of the basketball team isn't to happy. Tyllis (Ato Blankson-Wood), Uardo (Alexander Aguliar), Harold (Teddy Toye) and Cinnes (Alex Wyse) agree with Mick that they not going to take it and will seek their pleasures else where.
Lysistrata plan backfires. Some couples regroup (surprises) and some stay the same. During the last game the team is winning one of the players gets injured. Since their is no female basketball teams Lysistrata can jump in and play. Surprise, she scores the winning point.
The cast works well together. They all have great singing voices. Songs like "Where Am I Now" sung by Patti Murin and "Give It Up" sung by the company are outstanding.
The musical arrangements are fantastic, great beat. The band is on a balcony on the stage. It looked like they were having a great time.
The show is cute, light hearted but has no substance. If your in the group that likes a lot of puffery, this is the show for you.
Review by Rozanna Radakovich.
Photos by Annazor