Brecht's “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” is a dark comedy that chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago gangster who takes control of the cauliflower trade by ruthlessly disposing of his competition while also gaining the unconditional support of the grocers of Chicago. The play is a satirical allegory of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in the 1930s. Brecht had never been to Chicago but created the world of the play based on seeing gangster movies. He also based the central characters and story on Shakespeare's “Richard III.” The result is an unusual harnessing of humor to remind us of the insidious impact of totalitarian power and violence on society.
