The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Classic Stage Company) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (123)
See it if You enjoy classic plays with a political edge and social messaging. Mirrors Charlie Chaplin’s classic film The Dictator. The message is
Don't see it if You dislike Shakespearean plays or plays like The Three Penny Opera. Hard to follow and could easily bring on a sudden snooze. Read more
See it if you like fast-paced, thoughtful, older works--reinvigorated--requiring rapt attention; allegorical works, starkly-produced, are your speed.
Don't see it if expecting a really refined production (CSC is going bare-bones again—there aren’t even physical programs); you dislike political allegories. Read more
See it if Raul Esparza is great. It is Bertolt Brecht. Lightning is super. Action abounds. Thrust Stage (one of my favorites)
Don't see it if Actors have tough time with Thrust stage. Lighting affects some in audience It is loud. It is Bertolt Brecht (no middle ground)
See it if you love Raul Esparza and John Doyle, you're up for a show that throws our current political climate in your face
Don't see it if on-the-nose or not at all subtle parallels bother you or you don't want a show that makes you concentrate/work for it
See it if You want a tour de force performance from Raul Esparza. He is riveting. The show is good, not great, but relevant to our times.
Don't see it if You don’t like politics, don’t like rhyming couplets, need a big show with big sets, or want light fluffy theater. It’s not a show for all.
See it if a strong, invigorating production of Brecht's allegory with a superb cast headed by Esparza - working with a terrific translation.
Don't see it if if you are not a Brecht fan or find political allegories staged in a stark manner not your cuppa tea
See it if Brecht ... love him or hate him. Raul is powerful. Interesting staging.
Don't see it if Can be exhausting and dogmatic.
See it if smart political commentary and well-acted character are key to a creative reinterpretation of Brecht's warning
Don't see it if minimalism and honesty about abuses of power are hard to swallow
Critic Reviews (26)
“It’s blunt, confrontational. It blatantly acknowledges that actors are at work and not necessarily pretending to be taken for the persons they’re playing. Call Doyle’s approach neo-Brechtian. The eight-member cast members tend to blare their lines...As played here, the proceedings are hard to follow in a manner that encourages spectators not even to want to follow...They valiantly give their neo-Brechtian performances but to what avail is in question.”
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"More depressingly relevant than ever...No matter how astutely staged and performed, this is one of Brecht's most passionate plays, but not his best in terms of dramatic sophistication. And Mr. Doyle's trimmed down and extremely minimalist staging style doesn't change that. Still, there's the performance of Raúl Esparza to make a trip to the Classic Stage's 13th Street stage worthwhile."
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"And while the lights are sometimes blinding, making it hard to see the players, it's also frequently so dark that they appear obscured, or worse still, become disembodied voices. Indeed, there's so much going on with the lights--or not--that two people (Jane Cox and Tess James) are credited with the lighting design in the digital program, which is the only way the program is available. In so many respects, this can be seen as a user-unfriendly production."
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“Brecht's modern classic, a vicious indictment of fascism, is hilariously and chillingly relevant in Doyle's economical staging...The lighting design provides the theatrical spark the staging otherwise eschews; the rest is up to the cast, which, par for the course at Classic Stage, is excellent...’Arturo Ui’ keeps proving relevant...Whether you need some fuel for the fight or just the opportunity to laugh instead of cringing, Classic Stage has you covered for now. Resist!”
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“Doyle offers a minimalist approach. Perhaps a bit too minimalist...It feels like one is watching an early rehearsal...And is more distracting than enveloping. But it does force one to lean forward and listen...Doyle’s eight actors leap from character to character – with a hat or prop emphasizing the change. The minimalism and starkness of the performances is a blessing. The ensemble’s work is sharp fluidly handling both satirical and dramatic moments.”
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"As Ui, Esparza is a beast – devouring the stage with his every step, clawing at the air with expressive hands, teasing us with his humor, bullying the audience...Esparza drives the production...Director John Doyle‘s stripped down production intentionally exposes the bones of the play as both text and narrative, without losing any of the through line of the drama...With a riveting performance by Esparza, 'The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui' is devastating. "
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"Bravo, I would say, and the Classic Stage Company production does that very job, screaming the good word out to the heavens and beyond. Doyle as the director and designer has meticulously crafted a layout that clangs and bangs itself into place with every turn of the screw...It magnificently and meticulously parallels events and individuals that brought Hitler to power, and foreshadows a future potential that gets scarier by the day."
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"Monochromatically designed, directed, and acted…Staged by John Doyle in his familiar one-style-fits-all minimalist manner…As per Brechtian theory, the house lights remain only slightly dimmed, not the wisest choice for a two-hour production that exposes sleeping spectators and, after the intermission, how many have chosen not to return…It's not always easy to tell who's who or, given the neutrality of Doyle's setting, where anything is taking place."
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