Marat/Sade, a play about revolutionary France, shook the audiences from March 7 to March 10, with their well-acted depiction of insane asylum inmates putting on a performance about the French Revolution. A play-within-a-play, the plot was confusing at points, yet the themes on individualism and social change rang true.
The show begins with a scene from Occupy Wall Street, in which a man delivers a speech on the movement’s goals, a section not included in the original version. The play then moves on to the traditional plot. Crazed and impassioned inmates share their convictions on equality.
Yet the director, played by freshman Sean McDonough, tempers their revolutionary zeal, telling them to omit certain idealistic proclamations. Marat, the famous Revolutionary writer, played by senior Julian Plovnick, continuously scratches at his diseased skin while he announced his beliefs on equality from his bathtub. Wild fragments of music, assembled by junior Bella Ortiz, and narrative songs embellishes the performance, adding to the tone of insanity.
The play captivated audiences with brilliant acting. Plovnick’s role as Marat, captured the maddening irritation of his skin condition. He shakes with fury as he frantically battled the urge to tear at his skin. He manages to convey Marat’s revolutionary passion undeterred by a distracting ailment. Similarly, junior Jake Gonnella plays a convincing role as de Sade, portraying his cold and self-confident personality. Less prominent characters attracted equal attention from the audience, as the cast depicted the inmates’ insanity and passion.
A well-designed set and realistic costumes evoked the dismal atmosphere of an asylum in Revolutionary France.
According to Gonnella, resisting conformation is a core theme of the performance. The inmates scorn popular patriotism in Napoleonic France. Marat vindicates liberty. De Sade aggressively asserts the value of individualism over concern for others. A song, demanding more rights and better treatment, repeats throughout the performance.
The inmates often spoke of bitter disappointment in the current government, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Revolution, to them, ends incomplete and the lives of commoners left no better than before. To truly transform society, Gonnella’s Marquis de Sade urges people to drop compassion and act on rational calculations, doing whatever is necessary for progress. Marat, however, sees compassion as an essential strand of the revolutionary impulse and disdains de Sade’s nihilistic views.
The allusion to Occupy Wall Street is a clear indication that the story and themes are not locked in the past, but are of value to all people in all places – whether it be the French Revolution or today.
David Ullmann can be contacted at [email protected].
