Robert Hawkes, well renown as not an Equity actor around town, has turned his pen to writing a play about this ancient Gyro. He is not the first: Easchylous, the first real tradgic playwrite, also wrote about Prometheus in his Ancient Tragedy Prometheus Bonded which he did before Shakespeare perfected the form. And other playrights, have taken up the gauntlet since, most notably Roger Lowell who, had also translated Racine's Phaedra which is another old Greek story while he was being treated for manic depression which we now call bypolar disorder and is the subject of Next to Normal, the Award-winning rock musical on Broadway. And now here comes Hawke, he of the grisly beard, with his version of the tale.
Hawks, plays Prometheus, himself even though the real life Prometheus was a much younger man which Hawk addresses during the play as he is chained to his rock. Ray Caspy, is the avenging Eagle he of the supple form and flowing hair. I don't want to give away too much but, the story is not the same as tradition has it, even when the redoubting Alan Bernstein shows up as Heracles (Hercules) to set the unhappy Promethes free. But does he? You'll have to wait and see.
Watching this trio of talented local not Equity actors in rehearsal I, could only think that this is not for everybody. If you've had a fancy Ivy League education and studied a lot of dead languages and think you're some sort of scholar, this might be for you. I asked Hawkers about this, He said, "If I had written something that was for everybody I would of failed." Mysterious, eh? My grandson the kid reviewer, didn't get it. I would recommend that you give this play a try but I'm afraid that if you don't like it you might blame me.
Capsule judgment: The Folks at CPT have done it again inviting people like this onto their stage.
