Political art is sacrosanct in the United States, an extension of our 1st Amendment rights, but America did not invent protest songs or allegory. Perhaps, the first great civilization to popularize political fiction was the Greeks, with their legendary stories of gods and men. Now, a modern multicultural play based on the idea of self-sacrifice has hit the stage in Boston.
The story of Prometheus is familiar story in Greek mythology. Prometheus steals fire from the gods and gives it to man. His punishment for this transgression is to be chained to a giant rock for all eternity. Well, playwright Steven Sater saw Prometheus as the first political prisoner of conscience, and he has decided to re-tell the story with a 21st century spin.
Sater hired Armenian musician, and lead singer for metal band System of a Down, Serj Tankian to compose the score. System is known for their aggressive sound and political lyrics. Tankian tackles all kinds of genres in this project, from rock and jazz, to choral melodies with strings and piano. "It’s quite schizophrenic actually, but it’s done in such a smooth way, and it fits the story so perfectly," says Tankian.
The result if Prometheus Bound. The creators have dedicated their play to Amnesty International, and have promised to donate a portion of the proceeds to the organization that supports political prisoners. Prometheus Bound runs through April 2nd.
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