The plot of the musical closely parallels the plot of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata, with some artistic liberties to bring the story in to the 21st century. In the original play, Lysistrata leads the women of Athens to stop having sex with their husbands and lovers until the long-lasting Peloponnesian War is finally ended. In the musical, the men's basketball team at fictional Athens University has lost every game for the last 30 years when a cheerleader named Lysistrata "Lyssie J." Jones transfers to the school. Lyssie J. inspires the girls at the school to stop having sex with the team members until they finally win a game.
Productions
The musical premiered at the Dallas Theater Center, running from January 15 to February 14, 2010 under the title Give It Up! It was next produced by Transport Group at the Judson gymnasium in Greenwich Village in May and June 2011. The show began previews on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on November 12, 2011 and officially opened on December 14, 2011. It was directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges, with sets by Allen Moyer, costumes by David C. Woolard and Thomas Charles LeGalley and lighting by Michael Gottlieb. The musical closed on January 8, 2012 after 34 previews and 30 regular performances. According to Playbill, "The usually powerful chief critic of the New York Times raved about it downtown and uptown, penning a genuine "money" review for its commercial transfer, but, ultimately, there was not enough box-office interest to support the starless musical." A majority of the original cast reunited for a one-night-only concert version of the show at Joe's Pub on April 9, 2012. Lysistrata Jones returned to New York at the Ophelia Theatre, Astoria on March 16, 2018.
Characters and original cast
* In the pre-Broadway production, the character of Harold is called Gustaf Angstrom.
Musical numbers
;Act I
"Right Now" – Company
"Party Time – Right Now" – Hetaira & Company
"Just Once" – Lysistrata and Robin
"Change the World" – Lysistrata and Girls
"No More Giving It Up" – Girls
"Lay Low" – Mick, Cinesias and Boys
"I Don't Think So" – Hetaira and Girls
"You Go Your Way" – Company
"Where Am I Now" – Lysistrata
;Act II
"Writing on the Wall" – Hetaira and Company
"Hold On" – Xander, Lysistrata & Hetaira
"Don't Judge a Book" – Myrrhine and Cinesias
"Right Now Operetta" – Company
"When She Smiles" – Mick
"Hold On – Reprise" – Hetaira & Lysistrata
"Give It Up" – Company
Reception
's production received universally good reviews. Review aggregator shows "thumbs up" from all five leading critics. Ben Brantley of the New York Times called the show "effervescent, tasty and surprisingly filling." Steven Suskin in Variety issued praise for "a plot that launches a thousand laffs, old and new... jokes about Amelia Earhart and Kitty Dukakis in the same exchange -- both of which land." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said the show was "an obscene amount of fun". David Sheward in Backstage pointed out "Each of the characters starts out as a broad stereotype—just as Aristophanes' figures are—but Beane turns the cultural expectations inside out, creating complex people within a comic context." Brantley reviewed the Broadway production favorably: "the production that opened on Wednesday night at the Walter Kerr Theater warrants not only sighs of relief but also at least a few lusty cheers."
Cast recording
Broadway Records released the original cast recording of the Broadway musical, Lysistrata Jones, featuring music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn and book by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane. The recording was released on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The album features the complete Broadway score as well as a special bonus track. The album is produced by Lewis Flinn and Dean Sharenow. Van Dean and Kenny Howard are executive producers, along with Douglas Carter Beane, Sase Sham, Jana Shea, and David Huntington. The liner notes will include essays from the creative team, as well as complete lyrics. The track listing is as follows:
