Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.
Bertolt Brecht's remarkable satire, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, was originally written in 1941 and draws on Adolf Hitler's rise to power. So much of a risk at the time that the play didn't make it to the stage until 1958. Fast forward to 2026, and the Royal Shakespeare Company stages a timely revival that certainly puts a mirror up to the world we live in today.
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| Mark Gatiss as Arturo Ui. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
Ui is seen as a Chicago gangster who rises to power through murder and corruption. He moves his way up the ladder of the greengrocery trade by taking control of the failing cauliflower market. Through intimidation, coaxing and well-thought-out alliances, up through the ranks Ui rises. His power goes largely unchecked through fear. The timely message of preventing such an act from happening is one that you leave the theatre thinking about. If you were a character in this world, how could you simply allow this monster to have this control?
At the centre of this production is Mark Gatiss, who delivers a landmark performance. His Arturo Ui is a transformation of bone-chilling proportions. From the sheer look and the striking strokes of his hair, Gatiss crafts a deeply unsettling monster, never played for laughs but for chilling evil. He moves with a calculated, reptilian twitch, a cauliflower king who evolves from a snivelling small-time hood into a towering, oratorical nightmare. Watching Gatiss manipulate his voice and physicality to mimic the rise of a demagogue is hypnotic; it’s a performance that demands you look away but makes it impossible to do so. He is, quite simply, magnificent.
Mawaan Rizwan gives a tremendously well-rounded performance as The Barker and Giri. Opening the play with a witty monologue delivered directly to the audience and cleverly using the fact that the performance I attended was captioned to add extra humour. As Giri, Rizwan moves around with a boundless, vicious energy, reminding me somewhat of The Joker from Batman. The character collects the hats of his victims and this gets more outrageous as the pile grows bigger. Rizwan has a knack for making things we shouldn't find funny quite darkly funny.
Kadiff Kirwan is superb as the powerful Roma. Ui's most prominent ally for much of the play, he is riveting to watch. Whilst LJ Parkinson looms as the cunning Givola. Their presence adds a brilliant, complex layer. Christopher Godwin brightens the stage with his multi-rolling performances. As Dogsborough, you see a man lost in this world who leaves it too late to escape, while he also gives a wonderful turn as The Actor, who teaches Ui how to command himself and how to deliver text.
This is truly an ensemble piece, with most of the company taking on multiple roles. There is no weak link in this chain. Every member of the cast operates with a synchronised intensity, creating a world that feels lived-in and desperate. Whether they are playing corrupt dockworkers or sycophantic politicians, the ensemble moves as a single, breathing machine of satire and grit. It is rare to see a cast so uniformly excellent, turning every minor character into a vital organ of the narrative.
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| Mark Gatiss as Arturo Ui (centre) and the Company. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
The design is sublime. Georgia Lowe's impactful design. Largely, the stage is bare with the occasional use of props. The slick moving parts make for seamless transitions between scenes. Inventive touches are made throughout, including the witty uses of vegetables as guns. Robbie Butler's lighting adds real theatricality to proceedings. It adds a punchy, powerful feeling, as does the score by Placebo. The grimy, distorted guitar riffs and driving industrial beats provide a sonic landscape that is pure adrenaline. It bridges the gap between 1930s Chicago and a dystopian future, making the political themes feel immediate and loud. When the bass kicks in, you don't just hear the rise of Arturo Ui, you feel it vibrating in your chest.
Seán Linnen's production really works in placing the audience at the core. Are we observers, or are we simply compliant in letting Ui and his monstrous rise to power? How does this play out in our everyday lives? That is the question that this play leaves the audience with. The performances are delivered directly to the audience, often with the house lights lifted so the actors can quite literally speak directly to people. The clever reminder of the real events of Hitler's rise remind of how real this all is, keeping this piece grounded in a horrible reality.
Brecht's play in this new translation by Stephen Sharkey is a reminder of the power of inaction. A theatrical experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you simply can not ignore this masterpiece of theatre, and its message. An outstanding production across the board, with Gatiss leading with extraordinary execution.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui plays until Saturday 30th May 2026. The run is sold out, but do check back for returns. For more information, visit https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-resistible-rise-of-arturo-ui/
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| The company. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
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