Lysistrata, Side Project, and Bowlscrapers to Skyscrapers: Business as Usual, Side Project, at the Side Studio. Adam Webster in his new 70-minute adaptation of Lysistrata pays little attention to Aristophanes’ exploration of sexual politics and indictment of war. But he wholeheartedly embraces the comedy inherent in this story of Greek women withholding sex until their men agree to end a ten-year battle.
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Director John Shaterian delivers a broad farce complete with lewd humor, pratfalls, and bold double entendres. And while some of the actors overplay the silliness, Vayram Nyadroh’s Lysistrata is intelligently enthusiastic rather than strident, and Dave Taylor’s blustering Magistrate hits just the right note of arrogant incompetence. Chris Genebach is entertaining as a Rocky Balboa-esque Cinesias pining for the pert, loopy Myrrhine (Jennifer Marschand in a sparkling performance).
Bowlscrapers offers a funny 90 minutes, but the show would be even stronger if the entire ensemble shared Jeff Madden, Rasika Mathur, and Alexandra Cwajbaum’s ability to truly inhabit their characters even in brief scenes.
