The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Bridewell Theatre, London

Lawrence Hopper

Alienated from the prestige of a West End location, hidden amongst the high rise of Fleet Street, the Bridewell Theatre presents Brecht's take on marginalisation and asylum.

The parable of how Hitler rose to power is told through Arturo Ui, a desperate small time hoodlum in 1930s Chicago who takes advantage of economic turmoil to seize control of the Cauliflower Trust.

Ui forges an alliance with Mayor Dogsborough, symbol of integrity and honesty.A mirror is placed in front of the audience facing the stage as Ui is taught how to project himself and conjure theatrical effects, to create the illusion of power and respectability, reflecting back an image of what the people want to see, 'God is dead but people still believe in Dogsborough'. Actors appear in the audience cheering Ui at his simulated Nuremberg rally as possibilities to halt his inexorable rise are ignored due to human corruption and greed. The audience is both critic and appeased majority tacitly accepting Ui, applauding at the end of the play.

Amy Ip plays the downtrodden worker, the asylum seeker, the character most obviously akin to Brecht himself who had fled Germany to seek safety in America, writing this play in 1941. Liminality is yet again a site of potent social criticism where false, theatrical, capitalist figurations have not yet effaced real proletarian value. This crass, sentimentalized vision of Brecht as a prophet in the wilderness fails to recognise his impact on modern theatre.

It is the emphasis on criticism and scrutiny in Phil Willmott's production, that will allow us to distinguish between the conjuring tricks of Ui and the authentic voice of the oppressed minority, the downtrodden worker. The Press Release talks of the resurgence of Fascism in Europe today, the need to fight lethargy and political apathy and just how darn relevant this production was going to be. But it lacked ambition and was saved by a few cheap gags about rotten vegetables and a convincing portrayal of Ui by Peter Polycarpou.

Until August 24