SunTimes review:
June 6, 2007
BY HEDY WEISS Theater Critic
What better metaphor could there be for the thugs who rose to power in Nazi Germany than the mobsters who ruled Chicago in the 1920s? And who could appear more ridiculous (though deadly dangerous) than a ruthless, pathetic little Chicago criminal engaged in ever-escalating terror -- a man with an intriguing resemblance to Shakespeare's misshapen Richard III?
This, as it happens, is the essential premise of Bertolt Brecht's 1941 play, "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui," now receiving one of those red-hot, astonishingly accomplished storefront productions for which Chicago is famous. Steep Theatre's large-scale, small-stage take on the play is sensational. And gifted director Jonathan Berry, whose recent hits include "Dead End" and "The Piano Tuner," once again demonstrates his flair for animating period pieces, shaping large ensembles and orchestrating dialogue as if it were musical notation.
Arturo Ui (Yosh Hayashi, ideal as the twisted goose-stepper) is a vicious, cold-blooded runt hungry for power. Down on his luck, he hatches a plan to corner the city's cauliflower market, demand big-time protection money from the vegetable vendors and strong-arm a squeaky-clean official to front for him.
Ui's brutal tactics work, just as Hitler's did, and his rise is never successfully resisted.
Paul Myers, Josh Odor, Jonathan Edwards, Peter Moore, Sean Bolger and Ariel Brenner are standouts in an altogether flawless cast -- one supported at every turn by the design team.
hweiss@suntimes.com - ARTICLE found here
'THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI'
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
When: Through July 7
Where: Steep Theatre, 3902 N. Sheridan
Tickets: $18
Phone: (312) 458-0722
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