The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui

I went to see yesterday's matinee at the Abbey Theatre. The play is set in 1930s Chicago, amidst the insecurity and uncertainty of the economic slump. Arturo Ui is a small time hood who sees his chance to muscle in on a fire-sale warehouse deal between a hard-up vegetable import/export firm and a local businessman. A meteoric and bloody rise to domination through corruption and protection rackets begins.

Written by Bertolt Brecht in 1941, the tale of Arturo Ui is a reflection of Adolf Hitler's earlier rise to power in fascist Germany. Set in the environs of the Chicago warehouses, courtrooms and labour meetings, the story mirrors events in Hitler's ascent such as the burning of the Reichstag and The Night of the Long Knives. Arturo Ui's sinister evolution into the dictator's mould, growing unchecked in power and bloodlust, is Brecht's message: how easily such a thing can happen, and happen again.

The play runs until the end of this week, 6th of December.