“Lysistrata: a Women’s Translation,” is a modern adaptation of Aristophanes’ classical comedy. It focuses on Lysistrata and a band of women that demand peace. When nothing appears to change, they decide to get all the women to join in on a protest to withhold the treasury and themselves from the men.
Going into the show blind is something that is not recommended given the adult and mature content featured in this show. However, despite the mature content, it is an extremely entertaining show.
The start of the show was a little hard to understand. A lot of the lines at the start were reminiscent of a Shakespear play with the flow and rhyming scheme. This made it hard to follow along at first, but as the play progressed, it became easier to understand.
The show itself felt like a combination of modern and historical plays, which was interesting. The play is set in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War, yet there were many aspects of the show that were very modern.
For example, many of the terms and references were from ancient Greece, but the costumes were very modern. The lead character wore a burgundy shirt, a leather jacket and jeans. However, the modern costumes definitely added to the humor of the show.
Many of the male character’s costumes were extremely comical, especially after the first few scenes. Many of them went from wearing suits with goofy accessories to wearing boxers, tank tops and many other silly accessories.
There was even a point where one of the male characters was put into a female nightgown and wig by the women. The first time seeing him in that outfit was hilarious, but every time he wore it, after the initial time, it became even funnier.
The transitions with the men’s costumes in general were a nice touch because it really showed how they went deeper and deeper into madness as the women’s protest continued on.
Additionally, the use of puppets in the show added another layer of amusement. Most of the male characters in the show also had puppets that they used to play as entirely different characters. That aspect was a little confusing at first, but once the puppet was seen as a different character, it made perfect sense.
The puppets themselves were all different shapes and sizes, which was extremely entertaining to watch, especially during the fight scenes. It was entertaining to watch some of the women fighting with the puppets when some of them were much smaller or much larger than the women.
The choreography for the fights themselves was also very well done. There was a part when one of the female characters, Myrrhine, lifted another female character onto her back. While Myrrhine held her up, the other character kicked two of the male characters in the face. The timing of that move was extremely well done, and the kick looked like it actually made contact with the male characters’ faces.
Another part that included modern humor was when one of the women was teasing and riling up her husband. During this scene, “Cbat” by Hudson Mohawke began playing, causing the audience to erupt in laughter.
Despite all the humor of the show, it does touch on important topics like feminism. It shows women who are strong and willing to stand up for what they believe, which is vastly different from the original play by Aristophane.
Overall, Lysistrata is an extremely entertaining show with adult themes and jokes, and if you want the chance to see it for yourself, check it out in the Rauh theater in the Pittsburgh Playhouse from Oct. 16-19.
