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The Frogs (Theatre)

 The Frogs (Theatre)
type
TVTItem
 The Frogs (Theatre)
label
The Frogs (Theatre)
 The Frogs (Theatre)
page
TheFrogs
 The Frogs (Theatre)
comment
The world is in a bit of a mess. The art of good theater and literature in general has gone downhill, and things seem to be going to pieces. The Greek god Dionysus decides that he won't stand for this nonsense, and sets off with his Deadpan Snarker slave Xanthias to bring George Bernard Shaw back from Hades to set things back on track. What follows is a hilarious journey as the pair try to break into the Underworld, are beset by singing frogs in Hades (the creatures hate change and want things to stay the way they are), and finally must decide if Shaw really is the best playwright to bring back to life.An adaptation of a play by Aristophanes, this musical was created for a college performance at Yale in 1974. Written by Burt Shevelove with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, it was based on an adaptation that Shevelove had written and directed during his own senior year at Yale in 1941. It was staged in the college gymnasium, with the scenes involving the River Styx and the frogs being performed in the pool, with the Yale swimming team (hence lines in the original opening song, begging the audience not to swim during the performance). In 2004, Nathan Lane expanded the show into a full-length musical, writing the new book himself (Shevelove having passed away in 1982) with Sondheim contributing seven new songs. This expanded version played on Broadway with Lane and Roger Bart as the leads.
 The Frogs (Theatre)
fetched
2023-07-13T10:13:45Z
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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2023-07-13T10:13:45Z
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Dropped link to Jaws: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Dropped link to TheLionKing1994: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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DBTropes
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
type
Breaking the Fourth Wall
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
comment
Breaking the Fourth Wall: The very first number, "Instructions to the Audience", has the actors playing the leads go onstage and instruct the audience how to behave (turn off cell phones, don't talk during the performance, etc). The finale number, which is a reprise, has Dionysus directly address the audience with a plea to not stand by while everything falls apart around them.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_356437e0
type
EveryoneHatesHades
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_356437e0
comment
Everyone Hates Hades: Subverted. The song Hades is all about how great the Underworld is, and how awesome everyone finds living there to be.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_356437e0
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_356437e0
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_41acc7e
type
A Hell of a Time
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_41acc7e
comment
A Hell of a Time: The Underworld turns out to be a pretty nice place, all things considered.
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_41acc7e
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_4a3e547f
type
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_4a3e547f
comment
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When Dionysus goes to Pluto and begs him to allow George Bernard Shaw to come back to Earth, Pluto and the Greek Chorus point out that it's very naive (if optimistic) to think that one playwright's works would be all it would take to change the world. The Greek Chorus follows up by singing for Dionysus to relax because "It's only a play!"
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 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_5fb6411f
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We Are as Mayflies
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_5fb6411f
comment
We Are as Mayflies: One of the few things that makes Dionysus act truly sorrowful is the memory of his wife, who died years ago because she was mortal and he was not.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_5fb6411f
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_5fb6411f
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
type
Dumb Muscle
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
comment
Dumb Muscle: Hercules, if only because he went to the Underworld for one of his Twelve Labors and tells Dionysus how it's a horrible place that he'll need a disguise to get into, when it's really a very pleasant place. Lampshaded by Pluto, who notes that Hercules "isn't the brightest flame in the candelabra".
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_adf1dcc2
type
Promoted Fanboy
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_adf1dcc2
comment
Promoted Fanboy: In-Universe, Dionysus, a massive fan of Shaw's work, squees at being able to meet his idol.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_adf1dcc2
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_adf1dcc2
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_af4d6174
type
Setting Update
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_af4d6174
comment
Setting Update: A Classical Greek play updated to, well, some time after Shaw's death.
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_af4d6174
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_bec0417c
type
Happily Married
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_bec0417c
comment
Happily Married: Dionysus and Ariadne.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_bec0417c
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_bec0417c
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: The last line of the title song (spoken by Xanthias after seeing his master attacked by a giant frog) is "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat." When Dionysus tries on Hercules's lion skin and asks Xanthias, "How do I look?", Xanthias replies, "Like the Circle of Life has stopped."
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c75df49a
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c9597a03
type
Self-Deprecation
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c9597a03
comment
Self-Deprecation: In the "Instructions to the Audience", one of the instructions is that "if by a sudden miracle / A tune should appear that's lyrical, / Don't hum along". May also double as Take That, Critics!, considering how Sondheim's songs once were criticized for being too complex to hum along to.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c9597a03
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_c9597a03
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_dd3969b
type
Hijacked by Jesus
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_dd3969b
comment
Hijacked by Jesus: Subverted in general, as the musical remains faithful to Aristophanes's play, however there are a few instances where the characters (including Hades himself) refers to the Underworld as "hell". In some cases it's clearly a case of the character not understanding the Underworld, and the place is shown to be quite pleasant.
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_dd3969b
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_ef20dac5
type
Servile Snarker
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_ef20dac5
comment
Servile Snarker: Xanthias.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_ef20dac5
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 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_ef20dac5
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_ef20dac5
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f0c4ce7d
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The Lost Lenore
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f0c4ce7d
comment
The Lost Lenore: Ariadne.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f0c4ce7d
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The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f0c4ce7d
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f642b1f9
type
You Bastard!
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f642b1f9
comment
You Bastard!: A mild example. At the end of the play, Dionysus tells off the audience for agreeing with him just because he's a god and implying that many are or soon will be fine with sitting and letting the world fall apart rather than try to change things.
 The Frogs (Theatre) / int_f642b1f9
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The Frogs (Theatre)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Frogs (Theatre)
hasFeature
Ancient Grome / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Forgotten Trope / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Happily Married / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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"No Talking or Phones" Warning / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Setting Update / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Shallow Parody / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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Ur-Example / int_fb50b167
 The Frogs (Theatre)
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We Are as Mayflies / int_fb50b167