Just as the unseasonable weather finally cools down to sub-zero levels, theatre on campus is heating up with Hart House Theatre’s production of Lysistrata, premiering Wednesday night.
Written by Greek playwright Aristophanes some 2,448 years ago, Lysistrata couldn’t be more relevant today. With more people supporting the revival of obscure Coke-brand Surge soda than President Bush’s troop surge in Baghdad, Lysistrata’s comical, pro-peace message is sure to resonate with Hart House audiences.
But while U.S. lawmakers struggle to produce a viable plan to bring the troops home from Iraq, none are likely to go to the extremes that the women of Athens do in Lysistrata.
With young women desperate for the return of their would-be suitors, shipped off to fight Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, a group of women led by the eponymous Lysistrata occupy their local public funds office and refuse to have sex with their powerful husbands until policy is changed and peace is secured.
While these tactics may seem comedic and purely theatrical, they were actually put to use in real-life back in September when a group of Columbian women from the town of Pereira became fed up with their partners’ involvement in deadly gang warfare and drug trafficking. The ladies staged what they dubbed “La huelga de las piernas cruzadas” (“The strike of crossed legs”) and refused to engage in any sexual activity until their significant others renounced lives of crime. The strike got international media attention and reportedly had several gang members turning to peace to get their piece.
So with Aristophanes’ sexless scheme apparently still viable in the 21st century, director by Taborah (“Tabby”) Johnson promises her Hart House production, with Kate Hodgert in the title role, will assume a modern approach to the ancient play, blending elements of song, dance and video into the performance.
A stage veteran, Johnson has been performing since the age of 16, when she landed a role in the Toronto premiere of the classic protest musical Hair. From 1979 to 1982 she sang backups for Rick James, lending her voice to his most famous single “Super Freak” (insert Dave Chappelle reference here…actually, Variety reported in December that Hollywood screenwriter Sheldon Turner is writing a Rick James biopic with Chappelle possibly reprising his most famous impersonation, bitch). She currently hosts a weekly radio talk show on CFRB. Lysistrata runs at Hart House until January 27.
After the Athenians retreat, Hart House will be occupied by the UC Follies’ production of Nine, a musical based on Italian director Fedrico Fellini’s autobiographical film 8 1?2. Written by Arthur Kopit, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, the plot centres around Guido Contini, a once-successful film director suffering from a mid-life crisis and a bad case of writer’s block. To make matters worse, his ex-mistresses and business associates have followed him to the secluded Spa at Fontane di Luna where he is holed up in a last-ditch attempt to save his troubled career and marriage.
Directed and choreographed by Stephen Low, Nine stars David Pereira as Guido (a role previously played by both Antonio Banderas and the late Raúl Juliá on Broadway) and Jenna Simond as his exasperated wife Luisa. Nine opens at Hart House on February 8 and runs until February 17.
