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The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Duchess Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 19th September 2013
Following a successful run at the Chichester Festival Theatre last year, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui has transferred to the West End's Duchess Theatre. The play, which is Bertolt Brecht's take on the rise of Hitler, somehow manages to be both funny and powerful and, of course, incredibly dark.
The play is set in Chicago during the Great Depression in the 1930s. People are faced with unemployment, fear and corruption... making it the perfect time for a man and his henchmen to seize complete control... (I'm sure you can work out the rest.)
The cast is lead by Henry Goodman, (pictured right) in the title role, who gives one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen on a West End stage. Only a few months ago I saw him star in the Old Vic's production of Terence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy, the two parts couldn't be any more different but both of Henry's performances are equally outstanding. To watch Arturo Ui develop throughout the piece is actually a little disturbing, something which Henry has grasped with both hands and successfully mastered.
Even if you sat in the theatre and didn't know that the play was by Brecht, within minutes anybody familiar with his work would be able to work out the identify of the playwright. The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui has Brecht written all over it, which I greatly admire. Brecht wanted an audience to be reminded that they are sat in a theatre so that they can sit back and think about the themes and issues. The characters are introduced before the story begins, the cast regularly enter and exit through the audience and at the end Henry Goodman uses direct address, preventing the audience from becoming too emotionally connected. This certainly works.
After the show, the lady next to me asked "Did you enjoy it", and my reply was "Well... I'm not sure enjoy is the right word." The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is not the kind of show you 'enjoy' or 'love', but it is one of those shows which will stick with you for a long time. It is one of the most thought-provoking pieces I have ever seen.
Unfortunately the text is very long winded in places, particularly during the first act which felt extremely long. This is a shame as The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui lost some of its intensity, several audience members became noticeably fidgety and were not enjoying the show. If you do go and see The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui I would advise that you do some Googling beforehand as I spotted some very confused faces both during the interval and after the show.
If you want to have a laugh go and see One Man, Two Guvnors, if you want to see something new and exciting go and see Chimerica, but if you want to see a historical piece of theatre which will stay with you for a very long time go and see The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui runs at the Duchess Theatre until Saturday 7th December 2013.
Click here to book tickets (top price seats reduced to £37.50 at selected performances).
Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan
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