Irresistible Rise: Henry Goodman Masters The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

31 October 2013

Duchess Theatre

4/5

Under Jonathan Church’s direction, Henry Goodman embodies Arturo Ui, crafting a performance of Bertolt Brecht’s allusion to the rise of Hitler with uncannily focused energy. Even if it strays from Brecht’s original intentions and only truly blossoms in the play’s final moments, the production’s genius is its subtlety as it proceeds from unsettling comedy to dark poignancy.

Design by Simon Higlett and lighting by Tim Mitchell engage partially with Brecht’s philosophies, using a runway, tableaux on stage, and sparse set to remind the audience of being in a theatre performance. Sometimes this technique lacks a clear purpose but eventually draws the audience powerfully into the performance by designating swaths of seats as either Chicago or Cicero. Unfortunately, the absence of the signboards Brecht envisioned, which list the precise historical connections between the play and Nazi Germany, undermines the performance’s relatability and allusory significance.

If precise, concrete allusion is absent, the omnipresent atmosphere of Nazi Germany heightens the power of the performance. Red armbands, the letters U and I entangled in a pseudo-swastika, and Ui’s evolving attire all reflect the iconic trappings of Hitler’s rise.

It is Henry Goodman’s subtly brilliant performance as Ui that both steals the show and also hammers home the Hitler connection. Appearance certainly helps, moustache and combed-over hair included, but Goodman evolves the character with unparalleled, slow precision over the course of the play. At the outset, Ui is an almost laughable gangster, with Goodman facilitating slapstick humour and delivering comedic lines with convincing foolery. As his aspirations begin to succeed, he slyly elicits support, still sprinkling moments of amusement that make it easy to pass off his early crimes. As Goodman delicately changes the character’s entire demeanor, the comedy ceases and a sense of uncomfortable panic sets in, though pinpointing exactly when remains difficult. Suddenly, Arturo Ui, or Hitler, is pontificating to a dejected, dominated people. As Brecht’s epilogue, delivered flawlessly by Goodman, implores us to reflect on the night, this performance demonstrates how any among us might be victims of, or even complicit in, such heinous tragedies.

The supporting cast, including Michael Feast as Ernesto Roma, Joe McCann as Giri, David Sturzaker as Givola, and William Gaunt as Old Dogsborough, often seems to offer either overacted or stiff performances. In contrast with Ui, each character’s lack of development, remaining as static caricatures of their respective roles, seems at first a disappointment, but these portrayals correlate perfectly with the Nazi counterpart for the role and act as foils, showing why Ui, or Hitler, was the leader, despite his eccentricities.

While this production might suffer slightly due to its exquisite subtlety and its apparent reliance on the genius of Henry Goodman, it truly offers a funny, uncomfortable, and horrifyingly poignant evening of theatre that cunningly delivers Brecht’s stark warning about totalitarianism.