Rapping Greeks - Lysistrata

April 05



Rapping Greeks - Lysistrata

Last night I saw Aristophanes' Lysistrata at the Lycoming College Theater. I didn't know the ancient Greeks were rappers! Yes, it was a modern production of the play and featured rap songs, dance numbers, modern military uniforms such as are worn by our troops in Iraq, etc. Some of the Greeks wore baseball caps worn backwards.

The Greek women were scantily clad and paraded around like whores. It reminded me of the last Oscars Award Show which featured a rap song about it's not easy being a pimp. One Greek goddess was dressed in over the top bondage wear and looked like the character Barbed Wire played by Pamela Anderson Lee.

Lycoming College deserves some credit for doing a Greek play but I would have preferred to see a classic Greek tragedy in an ambitious classical production that attempts to capture the Greek religious ritual.

There were a few women playing men's roles which was confusing because this play is about a battle of the sexes. The play was about mixing gender roles but that is all the more reason not to have women confronting women pretending to be men.

http://www.lycoming.edu/academics/theatre/Lysistrata.htm

posted by Robert Robbins @ 12:09 AM