With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Marat/Sade Meets Marxism
()
No more Stalin...you only have two nights left to see a group of earnest actors gyrating under a dirty bedsheet, and singing "U....topia!" like Animal Farm. We pointed to this revival production two days ago, but we saw it last night, and, God, is HOW TO EXPLAIN THE HISTORY OF COMMUNISM TO MENTAL PATIENTS the scariest story on Santa Monica Boulevard.
In an fiercely pro-Stalinist mental hospital,
with the dictator's portrait overshadowing the stage like a glowing lightbulb,
somewhere in the former USSR -
the esteemed Soviet realist writer Yuri Petrovski (Jeremy Lawrence) has been assigned to, yes, explain communism to the mentally ill. And he has just the metaphor to do it:
"In order to build a country where no one gets shit dumped on them again, we have to get rid of all the people who aren't willing to see things through."
Support for LAist comes from
The self-aware Yuri writes a chapters of Communist history every night, reliving his own horrors and his country's past.
He is interrupted by members of the staff: vicious, drunken Stepanida Rozanova (Melanie Chapman) who believes that the patients are harboring counterrevolutionaries, to the Stalin-stalker Katia Ezova (Hannah Dalton) who wants to fuck him because he touched Stalin's hand.
He also hears nightmarish voices quoting statistics and refusing pierogis.
And every morning, he reads from his writings like a priest to the lightly, moderately, and severely mentally debilitated. Taking questions from the bound and gagged, sleeping with the nurse, and visiting the inmates later and later at night, Yuri has a hard time drawing boundaries between the insane patients and his fellow Communist party members.
When Stalin dies, the entire hospital is thrown into turmoil. The final image of the play gives no doubt that the entire nation, all who have placed their faith in the dictator, are crazier than the inmates. Those who forget the past, et cetera, et cetera.
HOW TO EXPLAIN THE HISTORY OF COMMUNISM TO MENTAL PATIENTS: (closes Sat.) Tonight and Saturday July 22nd at 8 pm only, at the New Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. between Vine and Gower. Tickets: $20. Reservations: (323) 882-6912 or http://www.openfist.org.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist