The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

In the middle of a cold snap, we were given a very warm welcome by Vara Williams and the front of house team, found our seats and looked forward to the evening.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui was written in 1941 by Bertold Brecht, who was exiled in the USA having escaped Germany and its Nazi power in 1933. The play follows in depth the steps that  brought Adolf Hitler to power and it does so brillianty though dark and subversive humour. The play is set in (a mythical) Chicago where the immigrants from across the globe are trying to make their way. Arturo steps in with his gang of thugs (Himmler, Von Ribbentropp?) determined to take control through intimidation and violence. The play opens with Malcolm Brown, as the master of ceremonies setting the scene, his face large across the whole of the rear of the stage and in black and white adding an erie and atmospheric start.

The staging was open and bare, with the exception of the very large screen to stage rear that filled the back. This was accompanied by the props, all which made up the scene changes, which were minimal and quick. efficiently led by Jo Ashwell and the cast who undertook this task.

The diction and clarity of delivery meant that we were able to follow this complicated plot well and each of the cast were able to depict their individual character's foibles and life approach very well and all with true believability. They were led very well by Gary Nicholson as Ui who portrayed the ever darkening figure with real passion, very ably backed by Arthur Wood and the deliciously mad Givola, Danny Olsson as Giri, complete with over the top clownish delivery and Siyana-Maria Petrova as the evil bully and Ui's henchman. However to be fair, the entire cast were professional, confident and very into their roles, no nuance missed. This has obviously been very well rehearsed, no obvious dropped lines and they all looked assured in their performances, a credit here to Peter Andrews and his creative team.

Once again an absolutely fantastic and thought provoking evening. It finished with a poignant monologue from Ui with a combination of Stuka's dropping bombs followed by the warning and a picture large on the screen of Putin and Kim Jong Un warning us of what might re occur! Thank you Chesil yet another triumph.

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