Set in 1930’s Chicago, a Tony Soprano/Al Capone-like figure named Arturo Ui, is a crazy but totally charismatic gangster bent on gaining power at all costs in this wickedly funny and savage satire of the rise of a fascist dictator. Join us for this wildly entertaining farce that ultimately turns frighteningly relevant, Brecht utilizes a wide range of parody and pastiche – from Capone to Shakespeare’s Richard III and Goethe’s Faust.
Phoenix Theatre Ensemble will be presenting the U.S. premiere of the celebrated recent translation by Stephen Sharkey (“stiletto sharp” – The Guardian). Sharkey was quoted in 2011 “I think in the epilogue, Brecht acknowledges that the world fought back and got rid of this threat, this dreadful tyrant [Hitler]. But with the final line – the beast that bore him is in heat again – that’s Brecht’s warning.”