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Wine time: The Frogs - Southwark Playhouse

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For a show called The Frogs, there isn’t much amphibian activity in the piece. But being a show with music by Stephen Sondheim, you could be mistaken for thinking it’s a critical theatrical piece. But like Sondheim’s final musical playing at the National Theatre, while it may not be a musical that fills you with provocative thoughts, it’s a fast-paced romp through hell and back to save the world for the sake of arts. With rousing choruses, thrilling choreography and plenty of cheap laughs, what more can you want from the theatre? It’s currently playing at the Southwark Playhouse (Borough) . There isn’t much to the plot, except that Dionysus (Dan Buckley), disillusioned by the state of a divided world, and his sidekick and slave, Xanthias (Kevin McHale), cross the river Styx to the underworld to find a great writer who they can return to the world to teach the world about life. He has his mind set on bringing back George Bernard Shaw until he hears the poetry of Shakespeare.  This v...

A little less conversation: After Sex @Arcolatheatre


According to research, millennials in rich countries are having sex less these days. But they were prepared to talk more about it. So, it is no surprise to see a story about what happens when a series of no-strings-attached encounters start to become attachments. And the conversations arising from it. Such is the premise of After Sex, Siofra Dromgoole’s two-hander of the conversations afterwards. It’s not particularly sexy or erotic, and the snappy pacing and short scenes sometimes make you wish they stayed longer to finish the conversation. Nevertheless, it is still a funny and, at times, bittersweet picture of single lives in the big city. It’s currently playing at the Arcola Theatre. 


He is bi and works for her in an office job. She is neither ready for a commitment nor to let the office know what’s happening. He isn’t prepared to tell his mum there’s someone special in his life. He doesn’t speak to his dad, so his mum is his world. It’s a perfect relationship/arrangement. Or so it seems. But through these casual encounters, desires, fantasies, and the urge to connect with someone becomes strong. 

The two leads aid much of the tension and the drama. They move about the stage with their lingering looks at each other that seem both intense and provocative. His booming voice makes it difficult not to listen to Azan Ahmed. He has no name in this piece, but nobody will likely forget him. Similar for Antonia Salib. As her, she may admit she let several guinea pigs die, but you feel an affection for this serial guinea pig killer in ways that you probably should not. 


Running for just over an hour, it’s a brief encounter of post-coital discussions. Maybe there’s a future version where things can linger longer, allowing us to understand the characters more. But in the meantime, there’s laughter tinged with a hint of sadness and loneliness in this production. There isn’t much physical intimacy here, but the imagination sometimes runs wild. 

Directed by Izzy Pariss, After Sex by Siofra Dromgoole is at the Arcola Theatre until 3 August. Look out for the pre-and post-show discussions on 25 July. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Jake Bush


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