The Performance Reception of Frogs in the English Language, Past and Potential Royal Holloway, University of London Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Ph.D. By Daniel Goad 1 Declaration of Authorship I Daniel Goad hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, that is always clearly stated. Signed: ________________________ Date: __________________________ 2 Abstract This thesis is an analysis of the performance reception of Aristophanes’ Frogs across the English-speaking world; in which I include Britain, North America, Africa and Australasia. It will draw on the growing trend of performance reception as a branch of Classical Reception, approaching the material from both a classical and dramatic outlook. Following an introduction which outlines the methodology, models and background literature, Chapter One outlines the academic reception of the play in the 20th and 21st centuries, drawing out key themes that have been interpreted as being within the play. Chapter Two discusses transmission and translation of the play, following the manuscript’s journey from ancient Athens to modern day English translations. Chapter Three discusses reflections on the play, that is other plays that are not direct adaptations, but can be seen to have been influenced by it in some way. Chapters Four, Five, Six and Seven focus on the theatrical reception of the play, divided geographically. Chapter three therefore focuses on Britain, chapter four North America and chapter six Africa and Australasia. Chapter five focuses solely on the most influential and high-profile adaptation, the 2004 Broadway version with music by Stephen Sondheim. These chapters draw patterns throughout the performance reception, both within individual geographical areas and across the thesis as a whole. Trends include politics, staging, music and the pedagogical interest in performing Frogs . The thesis will conclude with a short conclusion reiterating the general themes and trends seen throughout. 3 Contents Declaration of Authorship ................................................................................................. 2 Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 3 Contents ............................................................................................................................ 4 List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................ 7 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 10 The Importance of Frogs in Performance ................................................................... 11 Frogs in Academia and Pedagogy ............................................................................... 13 Reception Studies and Performance Reception ........................................................... 21 Authenticity ................................................................................................................. 32 Sources, Evidence, Bibliography ................................................................................ 37 Structure ...................................................................................................................... 40 A Note on Style ........................................................................................................... 41 Chapter One : Aristophanes’ Frogs : Modern Academic Interpretations of the Ancient Play .................................................................................................................................. 43 Politics ......................................................................................................................... 44 Literary Criticism ........................................................................................................ 64 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 76 Chapter Two : Transformation, Transmission and Translation ....................................... 78 Frogs ’ Journey into English: katabasis and anodos .................................................... 78 Translation Theory and the Challenges of Frogs ........................................................ 88 English Translations of Frogs ..................................................................................... 99 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 165 Chapter Three : Theatrical Reflections of Frogs ........................................................... 167 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 179 Chapter Four : Frogs in Britain and Ireland .................................................................. 180 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 238 Chapter Five : Frogs in North America ......................................................................... 240 Frogs in North America Before the First World War ............................................... 242 Frogs in North America after the First World War ................................................... 247 Language and Translation ......................................................................................... 253 Geography ................................................................................................................. 264 Gender ....................................................................................................................... 266 4 Sports ......................................................................................................................... 268 Politics ....................................................................................................................... 268 Race ........................................................................................................................... 271 Music and Dancing .................................................................................................... 274 The Popularity of Frogs ............................................................................................ 276 Chapter Six : Frogs according to Sondheim, Shevelove and Lane................................ 279 Frogs at Yale (1941 and 1974) .................................................................................. 287 Frogs Revived (1975 to 2003) .................................................................................. 300 Frogs on Broadway (2004) ....................................................................................... 301 Frogs after Broadway (2005 to today) ...................................................................... 310 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 311 Chapter Seven : Frogs in Africa and Australasia........................................................... 314 Chronology ................................................................................................................ 315 Geography ................................................................................................................. 316 Frogs In the Context of Aristophanic Performance .................................................. 319 Pedagogical Interest .................................................................................................. 319 Language, Script and Adaptation .............................................................................. 320 Politics ....................................................................................................................... 328 Staging ....................................................................................................................... 332 Music ......................................................................................................................... 335 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 336 Chapter Eight : Conclusions .......................................................................................... 337 Politics ....................................................................................................................... 337 Literary Criticism ...................................................................................................... 339 Pedagogy ................................................................................................................... 341 Authenticity and Adapting Frogs Today ................................................................... 344 Future Research ......................................................................................................... 345 Final Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 347 Appendix One : Frogs Outside the Theatre ..................................................................