'The Seven' Brings Urban Rhythm to the Stage at La Jolla

La Jolla Playhouse is bringing urban rhythm from the streets to the stage this February when hip-hop pioneer and theatrical visionary Will Power fuses lyrical verse and hip-hop breaks into a fresh, vibrant take on the classic Greek tragedy Seven Against Thebes.

"The Seven presents a modern-day remix of the brutal struggle for the throne of Thebes that pits Oedipus' cursed sons against one another and transforms a once peaceful countryside into a hostile battlefield. A Bay Area native, Power was drawn to the story because of the intriguing parallel that the unrest of ancient Thebes could provide to the inner-city culture in which he grew up," explain press notes.

The Seven marks the final show in The Playhouse's 2007/2008 season and will be helmed by Obie Award-winning Director Jo Bonney (Adoration of the Old Woman, La Jolla Playhouse, 2002) and choreographed by the legendary, 2007 Tony Award-winning Bill T. Jones. Joining them will be Tony Award-winning musical director Daryl Waters (The Color Purple); Tony Award-winning Scenic Designer Richard Hoover (Not About Nightingales); Costume Designer Emilio Sosa; Lighting Designer David Weiner and Obie Award-winning Sound Designer Darron L West (Adoration of the Old Woman, La Jolla Playhouse, 2002).

The Seven originally premiered in 2006 at the New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW). Since its premiere, the innovative hip-hop adaptation garnered three Bay Area Critics Circle Awards.

Power first collaborated with The Playhouse in 2007 when the Education & Outreach department commissioned him to write Honey Bo and the Gold Mine, a play targeted towards younger audiences as part of the Performance & Outreach Program. The production successfully reached a total of 14,500 children as it toured throughout San Diego County.

The Seven's cast of 12 is made up of nine original cast members and three new additions.

Appearing as the rhyme-flowin', low-ridin' patriarch Oedipus is Edwin Lee Gibson, who won the 2006 Obie Award for Outstanding Performance for his portrayal in the original production of The Seven and most recently appeared in 365 Days/365 Plays at NYTW. The older and more fiery of Oedipus' ill-fated sons, Eteocles, is Benton Greene, who originated the role at NYTW and recently appeared in This Is How It Goes (Studio Theatre), Dream on Monkey Mountain (Classical Theater of Harlem) and Enrico IV (American Conservatory Theater). The younger, more romantic son, Polynices, is also played by one of the original NYTW cast, Jamyl Dobson, whose recent credits include Romeo and Juliet and Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (Classical Theatre of Harlem), and Tea (Manhattan Theatre, Source). Bernard White plays Right Hand, a yes-man only too quick to carry out Eteocles' bidding, and whose film credits include The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded, Land of Plenty (Wim Wenders), Raising Helen, Pay It Forward and City of Angels.

Rounding out the cast are Uzo Aduba (Second Woman, Amphiarus); Shawtane Monroe Bowen (Third Man, Hippomedo); Dashiell Eaves (First Man, Eteoclus); Flaco Navaja (Tydeus); Chinasa Ogbuagu (DJ); Postell Pringle (Second Man, Capaneous); Pearl Sun (First Woman, Parthenopaeus) and Charles Turner (Record's Voice).

Single tickets for the The Seven are on sale now and prices range from $28 to $60. To purchase, patrons may call (858) 550-1010 or buy them online at www.lajollaplayhouse.org.