Two thousand five hundred years after its creation, the Greek comedy Lysistrata is still relevant. Wars still rage, lives are still lost and the citizenry are still torn between the merits of fighting or making peace. ETSU will modernize the classic stage play Nov. 18-21, says Director Bobby Funk, by setting its production in Congress, pitting the Democrats (Athenians) against the Republicans (Spartans).

“There seems to be a war going on [in Congress] . They can’t agree on anything,” said Funk, a professor in the Theatre and Dance Division. “I went back to an Abraham Lincoln quote ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ ”

The show, written by Aristophanes and adapted by Douglass Parker, will represent political parties but it will not favor any particular side, as well as having a modern appearance while still embodying the Greek story.

“We will keep the flavor of the Greeks but the play will have a modern theme,” said Funk.

The battle will not only rage in Congress and on the battlefields, but also in the bedroom.

A battle of the sexes as the women become frustrated with the men who are fighting a useless war and decide to refuse sex with their husbands until the men accomplish a peaceful compromise. The title character, Lysistrata, leads the charge.

Lysistrata balances the subtlety of a complex personal and countrywide dilemma with a blatant humor, as the sexual frustrations of the men rise.

While the PG13-rated play often features some form of phallus, to represent the men’s sexual excitement or lack thereof, Funk chose to use the men’s ties to denote their state of mind.

“They are going to have these neck ties and as the men get excited they will come out, which will be easier to handle by some members of the audience,” Funk said.

The task of making this costume piece functional was a challenge, costume designer and theatre professor Karen Brewster says, especially because of the visual gag with the ties. The men’s ties will be rigged with a wire so that actors can pull them up and down. “We are headed in the right direction,” Brewster says.

Audiences should enjoy the modern theme and the relevant situations, Funk says. “I think because it’s a political satire, it will bring people to see the show,” he says. “At least we hope so. It should be fun.”

The sexual, as well as the satirical humor definitely sets a playful tone in the midst of a serious subject, says Savannah Arwood who plays the peacemaker Lysistrata. “Sex sells,” says Arwood, who has performed most recently in this summer’s Robin Goodfellow and the spring show, “Tartuffe: Born Again.” “The sexual humor is a middle school level, but the kind that everyone thinks is funny. This is one of those shows you can’t go wrong with. It’s just so funny.”

Lysistrata will be presented in the ETSU Bud Frank Theatre Nov. 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. For more information call 439-6511 or go to www.etsu.edu/theatre.

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