On Thursday, 7 May, GCSE and A Level Dramatists travelled to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the RSC. Written in exile by Bertolt Brecht in 1941, the play exposes Hitler’s rise to the top and serves as a warning that this should never be allowed to happen again.
The performance was a powerful, thought-provoking experience, both entertaining and unsettling in the exploration of the dangerous rise of authoritarian power. Mark Gatiss was outstanding as the deeply flawed, power-hungry Arturo Ui, supported by an extraordinarily talented cast of actors and a fabulous live rock band. The brilliant design choices, choreography, and direct address kept us consistently engaged and fully aware of the play’s political message.
