Arturo Ui at the Munich Volkstheater: When political power becomes a grand stage role
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When the gangster seizes power: Brecht's Arturo Ui at the Munich Volkstheater
On Sunday, November 8, 2026, Stage 1 of the Munich Volkstheater transforms into the Chicago of a political parable. Bertolt Brecht's The Unstoppable Rise of Arturo Ui shows how economic crisis, corruption, and authoritarian violence reinforce each other. The performance begins at 7:30 PM.
A gangster story about the rise of power
In the midst of a severe crisis in the vegetable trade, small-time gangster Arturo Ui senses his opportunity. With intrigues, intimidation, and brutal determination, he invades the businesses of the cauliflower trust. Step by step, the corrupt economic space of Chicago transforms into a political dominion.
Brecht wrote the parable play in 1941 while in exile in Finland. He relocated the rise of fascism into the gangster milieu of Chicago, thereby presenting a dramatic experimental arrangement: greed for profit and political violence appear not as separate forces, but as dangerous allies.
Christian Stückl's production balances comedy and threat
Director Christian Stückl brings Brecht’s material to the stage with an ensemble full of verve, wit, and sharp precision. The production combines political analysis with the means of gangster films, making the audience laugh at first through tempo, grotesque situations, and pointed acting. It is in this laughter that the unease grows.
Anton Nürnberg plays Arturo Ui as a ruthless climber, whose demeanor changes before the audience's eyes. The rough gangster becomes a seasoned power politician. Acting lessons, public appearances, and calculated rhetoric reveal how domination develops its own stagecraft.
Set design, music, and lighting as a political atmosphere
The set design and costumes by Stefan Hageneier create a distinctive world between the Chicago underworld, economic stage, and political setting. Tom Zimmer and Max Bloching musically accompany the action and introduce conscious friction points with familiar march rhythms. The lighting design by David Jäkel sharpens the atmosphere between bright show, public staging, and dark threat.
With a runtime of about 2 hours and 50 minutes including an intermission, the evening unfolds its impact in several dramatic layers. Comedy tips into violence, entertainment into insight. Cigarettes, herbal cigarettes, and gunshot sounds are among the designated indications for the production.
A Brecht evening of unsettling relevance
The direction avoids a purely historical retelling and focuses on the mechanisms of political seduction. Arturo Ui does not appear as a distant monument, but as a figure who works his way to power through language, self-presentation, and the pliability of others.
Critical reviews particularly highlight the interplay of entertainment and political sharpness. The Süddeutsche Zeitung describes the performance as a gangster-theater-movie, while the Münchner Merkur commends the ensemble's joy in acting and the musical accents. Thus, a stage experience is created that provokes audience reactions ranging from laughter, tension, to contemplative silence.
Conclusion: A theater evening that does not bring comfort
The Unstoppable Rise of Arturo Ui awaits its audience with great acting talent, precise dramaturgy, and a theatrical atmosphere where entertainment and political warning are inextricably linked. Those who wish to experience Brecht's parable live will find an evening full of energy, black humor, and unsettling relevance at the Munich Volkstheater.
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