The Resistible Rise of Artuto Ui by the Classic Stage Company was a dynamic performance – a mixture of drama, satire, and comedy that was ten times better than I had expected it to be. The plot of the show revolves around gang leader and mobster Arturo Ui worming his way up the cauliflower industry through guile and ambition, a ridiculous concept that only serves to emphasize the satirical elements of the story. I was not thinking about how the play served to embody Nazi Germany and its rise until obvious signs reminded me about the play’s true meaning: the Nazi salute, burning buildings and shattering glass, manipulated testimonies and murder, etc. Each symbol built the story of Hitler’s rise, albeit with ironic and dark humor intertwined within.

The night of the performance, we crammed inside the coffee shop entrance preceding the intimate theater we would be sitting mesmerized in for 2 hours. I loved how the set itself was made, with seating on three sides of the stage that made for a cozy, up-close experience with the actors. In the back was a chain link fence that both served the purpose of being a backstage for props and actors sitting out as well as a backdrop for narrating and zooming the story out into a Nazi Germany setting (as demonstrated by various intervals of mobs chanting and a line of actors standing with Nazi salutes). The upper level, which I had assumed would be unused, was only used once when Arturo’s right-hand man is murdered for Arturo’s madman climb to power. The symbolism used was brutal, eye-opening, and effectively conveyed the message the performance was trying to make.

Another factor of the performance that I really enjoyed was that the actors and actresses weren’t afraid to get up into the crowd’s faces, directly maintaining prolonged eye contact with everyone in the audience (not an exaggeration) as they spoke, making rounds on the edges of the stage. This seemed to be an interesting method of keeping the audience’s attention piqued and almost brought them into the scenes as well. The actors even climbed up all corners of the room so when they spoke, their voices projected from all sides, from behind; from the right; from above, giving the scene, which was a court case, the effect of having face-less, identity-less voices, symbolizing how everyday, normal people can become the accusers when hidden.