Brecht is the love of my life- sorry, that just came out. My love in fact runs so deep that any production of his Excellency’s work is destined to fail when set against the backdrop of my enormous, insurmountable expectations. At the close of The Abbey’s current version of ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ therefore, I was left a shell of my former self having been bludgeoned and bombarded by the brilliance of this Brechtian extravaganza, which not only exceeded my wildest hopes, but blew them completely out of the water.
For those who don’t know the play, shame on you. Brecht’s finest play chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional ’30s Chicago mobster, and his attempts to control the cauliflower trade by ruthlessly disposing of his opposition. Consciously satirical, the play is an allegory of Hitler in Nazi Germany, whose rise Brecht represented in parallel to that of Ui. All the characters and groups in the play had direct counterparts in real life, with Ui representing Hitler, his henchman Ernesto Roma representing Ernst Rohm, Dogsborough representing Paul Von Hindenburg (a pun on the German Hund and Burg), the fate of the town of Cicero standing for the Anschluss in Austria and so on. In addition, every scene in the play is based on a real event.
In accordance with the ideals of Brecht’s Epic Theatre, this production assumes that the purpose of a play, more than entertainment or the imitation of reality, is to present ideas and have the spectator make judgments on them. Characters are not intended to mimic real people, but to represent opposing sides of an argument, archetypes, or stereotypes. The audience should always be aware that it is watching a play, and should remain at an emotional distance from the action (no suspending of disbelief allowed).
It was like being a chocoholic at a Butlers’ free for all. The stage was set for a Brechtian masterpiece- exposed lighting, minimalist representational set, politically allusory backdrop in the form of an American flag- epic theatre at its finest. We didn’t need the flag however to draw our attention to the parallels to the contemporary political and economic climate- Brecht’s play is more relevant today than it has ever been (although I’m sure that’s been said a thousand times). The context of the play is so relevant it’s almost shocking, an uncanny resonance between the current financial crisis (focused mainly on America) and what’s happening on stage. No analogy has been forced or tacked on- it all seems natural (or unnatural as the case may be).
Despite engaging and notable performances from supporting actors, the show doesn’t really begin until the infamous Ui arrives, the ensemble staging designed to frame the gangster (played by Tom Vaughan Lawlor) as a sensitive, solitary figure who holds all the metaphorical cards. Lawlor establishes himself as a sensational character actor, his Ui referencing Shakespeare’s Richard III and of course Hitler. He writhes and contorts his seemingly fragile body to extreme dramatic effect- those who say he’s overdoing it are nut jobs with no understanding of the Brechtian aesthetic.
The most notable scene, though it’s all but impossible to pick only one, surrounds Ui’s lesson with an image consultant- the ridiculous teacher gives him advice on walking, sitting and public speaking. Lawlor participates in something of a slapstick masterpiece, frolicking, flailing and prancing around the stage like an idiot doing the goosestep. His facial features relax, his hunched frame unfurls and suddenly, without warning, he strikes a recognizable pose in the form of a salute- familiar yet bizarrely poignant and shocking, the Irish audience is silenced (not that that makes a change, they wouldn’t miss a beat were Barrack Obama to swan onto the stage, so fixated they are on that proverbial fourth wall).
Special mention must be made of the set. Designed by Conor Murphy, it primarily consisted of industrial recesses filled with vegetable crates and random debris, meat hooks hanging from above, attached would be animal carcasses swaying in the light. The aesthetic appeal of this production is unrivalled by anything I’ve previously seen on the Abbey stage, the space opening out into a warehouse for a shoot-out scene, rain effects making the atmosphere cold and detachedly foreboding.
Jimmy Fay’s vision is flawless (and I never say that, especially when it concerns Brecht). At a running time approaching three hours, the action never lets up or tires- the cast are a triumph right till curtain down. Quick paced and laden with hysterical momentum, the show will both amuse and haunt you for days. Tom Vaughan Lawlor is at the heart of what is great about it, and I hope to see him back on the Abbey stage in the near future. I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much persuasion from the administration. ‘Extinguish Ui’ by all means but let’s hang on to Lawlor.