By Bertolt Brecht
translated by Ranjit Bolt
Melbourne Theatre Company at Playhouse until August
21, 1999
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
The final line is the most chilling moment in Bertolt
Brecht's, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. "The bitch that bore him is on
heat again."
It is a comment to halt thunderous applause mid-clap and
force an audience to gasp and reflect on the rise of Hitler and to be vigilant.
A tyrant can arise when we are looking away.
Arturo Ui is written on two levels. Its surface narrative is
about the juggernaut rise to notoriety of Arturo Ui, a Chicago gangster. The
other layer refers to Hitler's Germany in the 30's, from which Brecht, an
ardent Marxist, escaped to Scandinavia then to the US where he wrote Ui in 1942
which was not performed until 1958 in Stuttgart.
Simon Phillips' production captures Brecht's cabaret-style
theatre and is riddled with dualities. It combines slapstick and high-tech and
the gangsters are both ridiculous and frightening, Ian McDonald's original
music (requiring special permission from Brecht Family) is lively yet ominous
and Dale Ferguson's miniature Chicago design is cute but powerful.
Ranjit Bolt's exceptional translation maintains the
Shakespearian rhyme and five-beat metre of Brecht's original text as well as
including pertinent quotes from Shakespeare.
Brecht's intention was to educate the public about political
issues. He hammers us once or twice too often with the parallels between Ui and
Hitler. Nonetheless, his criticisms of fascists and power are clear.
Arturo (Frank Gallacher) owns almost everybody in Chicago
except the moral old Dogsborough, (Terry Norris) He offers
"protection" they offer "support".
Gallacher is compelling as the emotional psychopath, Arturo
who has no qualms about ordering killing of even his best friend, Ernesto Roma
(Linal Haft). His transformation from the Chaplinesque opening image to the
Hitler-look alike, is frightening.
He is supported on stage by a fine cast of fourteen men and
only one woman, Rachael Tidd who plays a bevy of female roles. Most play a
musical instrument. Haft, as the consummate loyal lieutenant, has enormous
range and should be seen more often.
Paul Capsis is bitter-sweet as the Marlene-style singing narrator, Gerry
Connolly and Jim Daly provide some fine comic turns.
Although the text needs half an hour edited out, the show is
entertaining and "didactic" in the best possible Brechtian manner. It
is a pity Brecht's Berliner Ensemble is closing down in a fortnight.
By Kate Herbert
No comments:
Post a Comment