The Play Podcast

Author: Douglas Schatz

Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. In each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We discuss the play's origins, its plot, themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Visit www.theplaypodcast.com for more information, including extra Footnotes on each episode and a complete list and profiles of our guests. Visit www.patreon.com/theplaypodcast to become a Patron and enjoy additional content and generously support the podcast. Thank you. Also, listen to The Play Review for reviews of some of the current shows on stage in London.
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Language: en

Genres: Arts, Drama, Fiction, Performing Arts

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The Play Podcast - 111 - The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, by Bertolt Brecht
Episode 111
Wednesday, 1 July, 2026

Episode 111: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht Host: Douglas Schatz Guests: Stephen Sharkey and Tom Kuhn Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Bertolt Brecht's 'gangster spectacle', The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is both an exuberant and funny piece of theatre, and a chillingly topical political satire. Set in the 1930s Chicago of Al Capone, Brecht presents a parody of the rise of Hitler through the character of the gangster Arturo Ui. The play is a universal cry for vigilance against the rise of unscrupulous, populist leaders who threaten democratic societies and global peace. As we recorded this episode a new production of the play by the Royal Shakespeare Company was playing in Stratford-upon-Avon, starring Mark Gatiss as the title character. I am delighted to be joined by both the show's translator, playwright Stephen Sharkey, and by Brecht scholar, Professor Tom Kuhn, to guide us through Brecht's political parody.