Stephen Sondheim's rarely-produced 1973 musical The Frogs will get a four-performance, partly-staged reading in summer 1998 as part of the Barbican Center's "Discover The Lost Musicals" season.

This rare Sondheim/Burt Shevelove piece goes up Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30, according to the Albemarle of London West End Theatre Guide website. Based on Aristophanes' play, the musical sends two culture-lovers into the afterlife to bring back William Shakespeare. The score includes "Fear No More" and "Invocation and Instructions to the Audience," which have been recorded on compilation albums. It debuted under the auspices of Yale Repertory Theatre at the Yale University swimming pool.

Before Frogs, the series will offer As Thousands Cheer (Irving Berlin & Moss Hart), April 26-May 17; On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Burton Lane & Alan Jay Lerner), May 31-June 21; and Hollywood Pinafore (George S. Kaufman & Arthur Sullivan), July 5-26.

According to Albemarle's, to mark George Gershwin's 100th anniversay, a special end-of-season concert (Sept. 18) of Strike Up The Band will feature the original, complete orchestration of the show. Band, by George S. Kaufman and the Gershwins, was recently done in concert at NY's Encores!.

For tickets and information on the Lost Musicals series call (011) 44-171-638-8891 -- By David Lefkowitz