Loony tunes
By Megan Lester
Feb. 22, 2006 9:00 p.m.
“What’s the point of a revolution, without general,
general copulation, copulation, copulation?” belted the cast
of “Marat-Sade” at their Friday night rehearsal.
Perhaps it’s not the conventional bellowings of college
co-eds kicking off a three-day weekend, but this is also not a
conventional play.
“It’s hard to describe,” said third-year
theater student Niccolo Boldrin, who plays a mental patient
portraying Jean Paul Marat. “It’s not Neil
Simon.”
The play’s complete title, “The Persecution and
Assassination of Jean Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the
Asylum of Charenton as directed by the Marquis de Sade,” may
provide more insight. Or not.
“Marat-Sade” will be on stage March 1-4 in Macgowan
Hall 1340.
The Marquis de Sade, a true French aristocrat and famous writer,
was jailed for his violent sexual writings and crimes against
prostitutes and others.
He was eventually declared insane, and he spent the end of his
life at the Asylum of Charenton, where the institution’s
director allowed him to cast fellow inmates in his plays and
perform them for the Parisian public.
Today he is most famous for his sadistic writings, as well as
being the man for whom sadism is named.
Though “Marat-Sade” was not written or performed by
the actual Marquis de Sade, it is loosely based on his history.
Jean Paul Marat was a famous French revolutionary who wanted to
remove the monarchy and who executed anyone thought to be against
the revolution.
He was eventually murdered by Charlotte Corday, another French
revolutionary depicted in “Marat-Sade.”
Hiu Cho Wong, a graduate theater student, talked with professors
about directing “Marat-Sade” at the beginning of his
UCLA career. From the beginning, Wong said he was aware of the
formidable task he would be taking on.
“Originally, I thought that because this play is so
complicated, so difficult, that I could not imagine myself
directing this play in 10 or even 20 years,” Wong said.
“But then I decided to take this challenge.”
And Wong does not exaggerate. Not only does he direct an
extraordinarily complex and multifaceted play, it is also
historically shocking and frightening.
When the play first came out, many thought that the actors
playing inmates were actual inmates losing control, and that the
audience was in real danger. A famous German actress, Ruth Arrack,
reportedly died while watching a performance.
Wong approaches the asylum theme by seating spectators behind
fences for protection.
“It is like a theme park, a haunted house. You are being
brought into an experience which is totally different from any
theater experience,” Wong said.
The actors’ skills are truly tested because they must play
two roles in one: insane asylum patients, portraying characters in
Sade’s play.
Anne Le Gendre, a third-year theater student, plays the patient
portraying the revolutionary Corday.
“(My patient) has sleeping sickness and melancholia. I had
to come up with my own background story for my patient which would
justify her playing Charlotte Corday’s role in the
play,” Le Gendre said.
But this show is not meant just to entertain.
“Marat-Sade” is known for its social message about
revolution and taking action.
“We disguise our satire through song, dance (and) methods
of presentation that can be deemed not serious,” said
third-year theater student Peter Newman, who plays the role of
Sade. “Therefore, we can say to the audience members,
“˜Don’t take offense to this,’ when our purpose is
to be offensive.”
“Marat-Sade” ultimately reaches beyond the depiction
of mere sadism, psychotherapy or musical theater.
“The play is supposed to disturb the peace,” Le
Gendre said. “It shows that people don’t have their
rights, and how people fight for them.”
