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Whether it’s used to end wars or just win a basketball game, withholding sex can be a powerful tool. Aristophanes recognized that when he wrote the classic Greek comedy Lysistrata, in which the title character empowers a group of women to stop the Peloponnesian War by denying their husbands sexual...

By Robin Edwards

August 8, 2013

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Whether it’s used to end wars or just win a basketball game, withholding sex can be a powerful tool. Aristophanes recognized that when he wrote the classic Greek comedy Lysistrata, in which the title character empowers a group of women to stop the Peloponnesian War by denying their husbands sexual privileges until the battle ends. Tonight the Aurora Fox Theater will unveil an updated spin on the tale: Lysistrata Jones, a musical that replaces the women of ancient Greece with a band of cheerleaders who refuse to put out until their boyfriends win a basketball game.

“It’s really important to me when I choose a musical that the music grips me and is something that I find interesting and would want to listen to in my car,” says director Keith Rabin. The score of Lysistrata Jones certainly fits the bill, with rock- and hip-hop-inspired tunes. “It’s definitely more adult than High School Musical and definitely has more of a powerful meaning than, say, Bring It On: the Musical. It’s very female-empowering,” he adds.

Lysistrata Jones opens tonight at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 East Colfax Avenue, and runs through August 11, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, $20 to $27, visit lucentperformingarts.org.
Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Starts: Aug. 2. Continues through Aug. 11, 2013

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