A play consisting of 25 cast members in total, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ran for three nights in the McArdle Theatre and sold out every night. Intended to be a satire on the rise of Hitler in Germany, the show follows the story of Arturo Ui and how he gained power over the Chicago and Cicero produce market through brute force.
Tom Klonowski, a mechanical engineering technology student, played several parts. “I had the roles of Butcher, a member of the Cauliflower Trust, an unnamed man in scene eleven, and an unnamed vegetable dealer in the final scene. I also voiced the radio broadcast used in scene three,” Klonowski said. The fast talking Chicago accents, while a little hard to understand, fit well with the style and cadence of the era. Preparations for the play began at the beginning of the semester and parts were sent out thereafter. Considering the difficulty of the accent and vocal pacing for this specific play, the preparations of the cast members were of particular interest. “I didn’t know much about The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui when I got a part in the show, so I…turned to YouTube. I couldn’t find much on my specific characters, but I did get an idea of the kind of show I was about to do. I had to use an accent to match the background of the characters. I’ve been doing voice impressions since before I can remember, so I worked through the voices I could do and matched them as close to the characters’ [voices] as possible,” Klonowski said, explaining his process.
Considering the satirical and rather controversial nature of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, it was natural that the cast formed personal connections to it. “Arturo Ui became a sort of protest for me and I’m sure much of the cast felt the same. We were speaking up against the charismatic figure that aimed for a position of high power, claiming only they can solve our problems while using marginalized or minority groups as scapegoats to blame for the cause of these problems. The show is a strong reminder of how history can repeat itself if we don’t recognize the red flags behind all the promises, no matter how good they seem. Considering the recent election, we were all disappointed we weren’t able to get our message out sooner,” Klonowski recounted. It is true that the timing of the play was off for getting a message out, but timing couldn’t have been better for box office sales. Selling out all three nights, it’s surely those who cared deeply about the election results that purchased the majority of tickets.
Given the variety of plays that are shown on campus, a student might be curious as to how they could join. According to Klonowski, the first step is just showing up. “We like seeing new faces. There isn’t just the acting side, either. There are classes available that deal with the technical aspects of the shows, which range from woodworking and sound design to costumes and makeup,” said Klonowski. “It’s also a good idea to take an entry level theater course, such as Theater Appreciation or Beginning Acting. It’s a great way to get your foot in the door by getting your name out in small projects.”
Students can find a voice through acting in the same way that they can find a voice through politics. The lesson of the Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is that we must speak out against injustice if we intend to maintain our freedom. With everyone participating in the political process, we can resist another misogynistic, bigoted, aggressive and wholly unsavory Arturo Ui from getting into power again.
