Equal parts ostentatious gangster tale and bitingly pertinent historical satire, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui shows at the Swan Theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), until Saturday 30 May. Featuring a masterclass from Mark Gatiss in the title role of Arturo Ui, surrounded by an exceptional supporting cast, the play tracks Hitler’s rise to power, transplanted onto the story of Ui - a violent and ambitious gangster - and his influence on the Chicago cauliflower trade.

From the first moments of the play - an introductory prologue and crowd warm-up by stand up comedian and actor Mawaan Rizwan - the tone is set for something extraordinary. Rizwan, who also plays Giri, one of Arturo Ui’s chillingly energetic henchmen, calls to the stage a company of clowns. Literally - they are decked out in exaggerated make up and shambling costumes, skillfully designed by Georgia Lowe.

These are Ui himself and his cronies, scraped from the underbelly of society - pushy, monstrous, gregarious and violent - with universally impressive performances (the same can be said about the whole company) by Cameron Johnson, Kadiff Kirwan and L.J. Parkinson, alongside Rizwan. 

Christopher Godwin plays Dogsborough, whose position and corruptibility allows Ui’s campaign to gain leverage, while Mahesh Parmar has a scene-stealing turn as Dogsborough’s son - comedy and tragedy nestle together, in a play which offers up real history alongside a surreal setting, and as many laughs as there are tense silences. 

The plot is slick - Bertolt Brecht’s play is translated by Stephen Sharkey, and the historical touchstones sit side-by-side with moments shockingly pertinent to the present day. Gatiss begins the play as a grotesque gangster, and transforms into a tyrant - his transformation is both an alarming portrait of social manipulation, and a reminder that the character is just a man, whose tyranny could have been halted at any turn.

The design of the production is bold and effective, with dramatic lighting by Robbie Butler which often merges beautifully with the music - the score is newly written by alt-rockers Placebo, and performed from atop a central set piece under the musical direction of Richie Hart. Seán Linnen, as director, extracts every ounce of meaning from the play, and entirely makes use of the Swan’s unique, immersive setting. 

One of the crowning successes of the production is that it is custom-built for performance at the RSC. From pertinent Shakespearean references to the design, which was made to be set against the backdrop of the Swan, this is not only a timely staging of Brecht’s play, but a triumph for the RSC creators, on and off the stage. The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is vital theatrical viewing - catch it at the Swan while you can.

Five Stars

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui was reviewed by Jessica Clixby on Tuesday 21 April at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre, where it shows until Saturday 30 May