Lovers and fighters alike will enjoy the drama department’s second production of the semester.
Loyola’s spring production of Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” opens today at Loyola’s Marquette Theatre. The comedy, directed by drama professor Don Brady, stars Alejandra Cejudo as the title character, an Athenian woman living during a time of endless war.
Fed up with the war-mongering of Athenian men, the heroine comes up with an ingenious plan to persuade the men of Athens to move toward peace – convincing Athenian women to withhold sex from their husbands until the war is over.
Adapted from the ancient playwright’s original text by Wilfred Major, Brady’s “Lysistrata” shifts the setting from ancient Greece to something more universal. Brady has added theatrical elements in the production that produce an echo of modern wars as well as those of Aristophanes’ time.
When asked about this modern adaptation, artistic director and chairperson and professor of drama and speech Georgia Gresham said that, “We wanted to show that war and love have no time period.”
Though the play itself is over 2400 years old, these everlasting themes have kept the play alive and wildly popular throughout the world.
Originally written as social commentary regarding the Peloponnesian War, war protestors have since referenced the play in times when peace is endangered.
A recent study by the Theater Communications Group found that “Lysistrata” was the most-produced play of 2003, the year that the current Iraqi conflict began.
On March 3 of last year, people all over the world, including members of the Loyola community, performed 1,029 simultaneous productions of the play in what was called the Lysistrata Project.
This did not surprise Gresham, who commented, “Theatre is a reflection of and a reaction to things that are happening in society.”
Original music by local all-around drama aficionado J. Dan Stanley and choreography by drama junior Christina Ung transforms the play into a full-blown modern musical complete with numbers such as “Obliterate ’em” and “Feelin’ Screwed.” The songs and dialogue reflect the raunchy, farcical nature of the original text.
Ung’s choreography was a serendipitous addition to the play that Brady credits with advancing it greatly.
“It started with me saying that we could use a little bit of dancing,” Brady said. “Now there are sometimes three rehearsals at once – one for dialogue, one for singing, and one for dancing.”
Both Brady and Gresham credit the cast and crew with putting in a great amount of work into the production.
“Everyone walked up to this project with great dedication,” said Gresham. “It (the project) showcases the great range of Loyola’s undergraduate theatre program.”
Lysistrata runs March 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 at 8 p.m. and March 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for general admission, and $7 for students and senior citizens.
