At the Keble O’Reilly Theater, on the 19th of February, I scanned my ticket and settled into my seat, casting a sceptical glance at the stage. As a Classics student focusing on Greek language and literature, I tend to find Aristophanes’ comedies somewhat lacking. “Challenge me! Prove me wrong!” was the silent challenge I carried into the theatre. Yet, despite my reservations, the night’s performance revealed something different: something that might sway my views.
The curtains parted to reveal a vibrant, imaginative opening set that mirrored the expected chaotic brilliance of an Aristophanes play. But then, the unexpected happened.
“What is drama?” The actor embodying Aristophanes himself (Jemima Freeman) broke through the theatrical fourth wall with a thunderous clap, silencing the audience’s expectant murmurs. Freeman stepped forward, eyes scanning the crowd as if challenging us directly. “What is drama?”
With the Greek rhythm in his speech, Freeman did not just ask but demanded an answer: “What is drama?” Indeed, Aristophanes would not move on until the audience was engaged and thus became a part of his play. Suddenly, the audience was turned into Athenians, and we felt as if we were watching this play in the theatre by the Acropolis 2500 years ago.
At that moment, the plot began swiftly, introducing a character named Sofia (Charlotte Walker), a sharp-witted Oxford Classics student known for her critical analyses and pro-Socrates, anti-Aristophanes viewpoint. As Sofia took to the stage, it was as if I were watching a mirror image of myself. She stood up and did what I would love to do when reading through Aristophanes’s plays – pointing at his face and screaming, “You are a fraud!”
This accusation puts Aristophanes on trial, with Sofia urging him to defend his legacy, and to find his position in the modern world. In doing so, Sofia is led into the world of Up Styx Creek, where Aristophanes takes her (and us) on a whistle-stop tour of his most famous plays. In Aristophanes’ words: “you cannot study the play by books; you have to watch the play yourself!”
Up Styx Creek is a marathon, running through the complete works of Aristophanes. His significant plays are presented to the audience with intricate lightning, comical musical numbers, and a commentary on philosophical struggle. We see the wasps in the play “The Wasps,” the frogs in “The Frogs,” as well as the appearance of the women’s sex strike, and his number one enemy, Cleon. But what is most fascinating is that Up Styx Creek not only displays the bare bones of Aristophanes’ plays but also adapts them to modern matters.
Surprisingly, what Aristophanes first conceived to solve and to satirise the issues in the past is equally applicable to the contemporary world. His jokes are timeless; thus, they trigger us to ask ourselves how far we have progressed. Why do such awful figures and terrible problems once again revisit us in the modern day? What struck me most was realising, on a smaller historical scale, that although the play was scripted earlier in this academic year, some themes have become even more relevant now! Who would have predicted that a Lysistra-style sex strike would hit the news mere months ago?
But why comedy? Why not tragedy? What makes Aristophanes stand out among writers like Sophocles and Aeschylus? Tragedy intensifies our challenges, presenting them starkly and profoundly. In contrast, comedy invites us to examine these issues, using satire and humour to render them less intimidating and more approachable. In today’s world, this is definitely helpful!
Amidst the soundtrack of opera, pop, and rap, Up Styx Creek poses a series of questions. In this musical, it’s not only modern classicists and students who struggle to figure out these questions but also Aristophanes himself, centuries on.
Questions like these: did Aristophanes craft his plays solely for Athenian audiences? Are his works merely funny, or do they carry a more profound impact? Was his aim to release Athenians from the chaos of the contemporary world by laughing, or to distract them from the fact that he was one of those people he brutally criticised? Furthermore, who was Aristophanes? Was he a critical political playwright, keenly addressing the issues of his time, or merely a self-serving artist, indulging in the craft for personal gain? Through the journey of Up Styx Creek, Sofia, Aristophanes, and the audience all try to answer these questions. I believe the answers to these questions are subjective, and I won’t tell you mine, so you can come, enjoy the show, and figure out your own.
Indeed, such a comedic musical presents many political and social questions, but laughs are still guaranteed. Up Styx Creek is a contemporary homage to Aristophanes: the Greek lines; the breaking of the fourth wall; the laughing while crying; and the most optimistic jokes in the worst situations. The adaptation extends beyond the script to dynamic staging, where cinematic lighting techniques and a fusion of opera and rap enrich the traditional Greek musical format, creating a truly modern Aristophanean experience.
After two and a half hours at the Keble O’Reilly, I found my answers to the questions Up Styx Creek poses, though I now choose to keep them close to my chest. What is most important is the journey to reaching them. So, go forth and explore Aristophanes for yourself; the real discovery lies in your encounter with his timeless questions and answers.
[Up Styx Creek, a musical by Catte St productions, is running at the Keble O’Reilly, 19th-22nd Feb]
