Grammy-nominated and SAG Award-winning actor Kevin McHale, best known for his role as Artie Abrams on Glee, will make his UK stage debut in The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Joining him are Dan Buckley as Dionysos, Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Herakles, Carl Patrick as Charon, Bart Lambert as Shakespeare and cover Xanthias, Martha Pothen as Shaw and cover Dionysos, Alison Driver as Ariadne and swing, Evonnee Bentley-Holder as ensemble and cover Shaw and Charon, and Milo McCarthy as ensemble/dance captain and cover Shakespeare and Herakles.
The Frogs, originally written in 405 BCE by Aristophanes, has been freely adapted by Burt Shevelove and even more freely adapted by Nathan Lane, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Directed by Georgie Rankcom, this laugh-a-minute musical comedy follows Dionysos and his sidekick Xanthias on a mission to Hades to find a cure for an ailing world. Their journey is met with resistance from stubborn frogs who are determined to maintain the status quo.
Kevin McHale (He/Him) is Xanthias. Kevin is best known in the UK for playing Artie Abrams on the TV series Glee. His character, who uses a wheelchair after a car accident, joined the McKinley High Glee Club in the first episode, and he had his first solo performance when he sang “Dancing with Myself”. Kevin has since appeared in multiple TV series, including The Office, When We Rise, and Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Stories. As a singer, he released his debut EP in 2019. Kevin and his Glee co-star, Jenna Ushkowitz, host the hit iHeart Podcast “And That’s What You Really Missed.” He recently starred in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Kennedy Center.
Dan Buckley (He/Him) is Dionysos. He was Rowan in Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical (UK tour), Chris in The House on Cold Hill (The Mill at Sonning) and Ferris in Eugenius! (The Other Palace).
Joaquin Pedro Valdes (He/Him) is Herakles. He is currently playing Michael/Deitz in Alfred Hitchock Presents – The Musical (Theatre Royal Bath). He was recently seen as Luke/Ares in The Lightning Thief (The Other Palace), Dominique in The Baker’s Wife and John Manjiro in Pacific Overtures (both Menier Chocolate Factory), Light Yagami in Death Note The Musical (London Palladium/Lyric Theatre).
Carl Patrick (He/Him) is Charon. He played George Evans in Sinatra The Musical (Birmingham Rep), Zoltan Karpathy in My Fair Lady (London Coliseum & UK tour), Phil in On Your Feet (London Coliseum), Billy Flynn in Chicago (Pitlochry Festival Theatre).
Bart Lambert (He/Him) is Shakespeare & Cover Xanthias. He recently played Dominique/Philippe/Antoine in The Baker’s Wife (Menier Chocolate Factory). Films include Napoleon and Overlord.
Martha Pothen (She/Her) is Shaw & Cover Dionysos. She is currently in Now That’s What I Call A Musical (UK tour), Oliver! (Leeds Playhouse). She was nominated for an OFFIE Award (Female Performance in a Supporting Role) as Sylvia Morgan in Privates on Parade (Union Theatre).
Alison Driver (She/Her) is Ariadne & Swing. She was in Madagascar The Musical (UK tour), Rent and Head Over Heels (both Hope Mill Theatre) and What’s New Pussycat? (The Birmingham Rep).
Evonnee Bentley-Holder (She/Her) is Ensemble & Cover Shaw & Charon. She was Luna in Burlesque The Musical (Manchester Opera House) and Mama Rose/Tammi Terrell/Flo Ballard in Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations (UK tour).
Milo McCarthy (They/Them) is Ensemble/Dance Captain, Cover Shakespeare & Herakles. They recently played Edward Ashbrook in Coram Boy (Chichester Festival Theatre). Other credits include Gatch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Southwark Playhouse) and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Hope Mill Theatre).
Casting for the role of Pluto will be announced next month.
The creative team includes Georgie Rankcom (Director), Ben McQuigg (Musical Supervisor), Yshani Perinpanayagam (Musical Director), Matt Nicholson (Choreographer), Libby Todd (Set and Costume Designer), Samuel Biondolillo (Lighting Designer), Joshua Robins (Sound Designer), Tim Sutton (Orchestration), Peter Noden (Casting Director), Adam Smith (Production Manager), Waverley Moran (Stage Manager), Evie Graham-Brown (Assistant Stage Manager), Sam Barnes (Sound No.1), Luke Pisano (Wardrobe Supervisor), and Rebecca Pitt (Production Artwork).
The first production of The Frogs was written and directed by Burt Shevelove in 1971, while he was a graduate student at Yale University. It was staged in the swimming pool in the Payne Whitney Gymnasium with the Frogs, played by members of the Yale swimming team, swimming around the boat. The ensemble included then Yale students Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and playwright Christopher Durang. Stephen Sondheim compared the acoustics of the production to “putting on a show in a men’s urinal”. For the 2004 Broadway revival, Sondheim wrote seven new songs.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
