"The Seven" is an updated version of Aeschylus's tragedy "Seven Against Thebes," the story of the two sons of Oedipus who take up arms against each other after he curses them.Yep, sounds pretty 'gangsta' to me. Young rappers will rhyme over any backing these days...The musical numbers supposedly feature hop-hop, 1970s funk, R&B, gospel and blues...while the reviewer believes that Oedipus has a distinct air of James Brown.
The program for the play includes a glossary explaining that "mack daddy" is slang for "a pimp; or a man who is popular with the ladies," and that Homer was the author of epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" before he became a cartoon character on "The Simpsons."
Narrated by a DJ and with flashbacks to the legend of Oedipus for the benefit of those not familiar with Greek mythology, the play has won good reviews since opening this month at a 188-seat off-Broadway theater. The fast-paced script mixes gags about Trojans (ancient people and condoms) and Apollo (a Greek deity and a Harlem concert hall) with serious moments such as when the fearful people of Thebes lament the war about to engulf their city.
