Remember knitted pink kitty hats at feminist protest marches? Remember when red ballcaps were tacky but not fully terrifying? Welcome to Basement Theatrics’ revamped Lysistrata, originally by Aristophanes, playing at theSpace @ Venue 45.
A little history overview: Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes and first staged in early 411 BCE, is a comedic entreaty to end the First Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, which lasted for a decade. Aristophanes suggests that the most brainless in society, women, are fed up and devise a plan to end the war by withholding sex because strategic noble men failed. Lysistrata has often been revived as a protest play. I took part in the women’s chorus in 2003 protesting Bush’s Iraq War, and Basement Theatrics’ revival draws on this long tradition of semi-modernisation. There are knitted pink hats, scenes from the 2017 protests, and signs like ‘Angry Women Change History’. On the men’s side, there are red ballcaps, crisp white shirts, and bows to any man monologuing against the women. These are political signifiers that are legible to modern audiences.
Much of the show does not cohere, though. There are several places where props are mimed, but other props are not. For instance, in the first scene, Lysistrata calls for a ritual to bind the women in their protest oath, which involves taking a phone from one of the women and calling it ‘a shield’. Anachronisms like this are fine, but they must be consistent. Only a few minutes later, the women agree instead to fill a bowl with wine and drink after swearing an oath, and the bowl, bottles of wine, and wine itself are all mimed. Why choose one prop, rename it, then mime other important props? A stronger dramaturgical hand would simply cut lines that cannot make sense in a modern context. The play is already shortened, as it runs to about two hours in its full form.
Other anachronisms no longer work. 2017 was nearly a decade ago, and now the red ballcaps carry a much more sinister meaning. All the Athenian men are characterised by these red caps, implying that all Athenian women, despite their knitted pink caps, are married to or dating these extreme misogynist conservatives. The allusion no longer holds up to scrutiny, particularly when the end involves a truce, forgiveness, and a big party.
Still, there are excellent moments throughout the show. Several members of the ensemble cast are excellent and understand the protest mission of the play. If you have an hour to fill before some evening shows, check out Lysistrata from Basement Theatrics at theSpace @ Venue 45 before the end of Fringe.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
