The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade
By Peter Weiss
Music by Richard Peaslee with additional music by Trevor Watkin

"The first bit of brilliance attributable to this Right Brain Project show is that they thought to do it at all... Nathan Robbel's direction is the second bit of brilliance here. He provides an exquisitely paced set of explosions, building to a grand, chaotic display, like the fourth of July. And the large ensemble constitutes brilliant bits three through 30. Mild and grave, an impassive sponge for horror, Chad Gowen Spear makes an near-iconic Marat. And Richard Peaslee's songs—"We want our rights, and we don't care how"—are as chilling as ever."
Chicago Reader, Best of 2012

"The performance of the play is top notch, with the actors all playing insanity (the variety of strange mumblings, twitches, and odd reactions to one another and the play going on as well as the guards and nuns there to keep things under control is both overwhelming AND manages to never draw more focus than the play itself) and the orchestra and choir periodical breaking in. Let it be said that in many (MANY) Fringe Theater productions the quality of the singing is generally an afterthought and, as a result, sounds like shit. Not in this case. Robbel has rightly cast solid vocalists and strong instrumentalists and they shine. Chad Gowen Spear as Marat is really excellent (first time I've seen him onstage and his quiet and powerful portrayal of the revolutionary through the veil of a paranoid schizophrenic is just solid as a rock) and, while I want more malevolence from my Marquis de Sade, Vincent Lonergan gives the Marquis a resigned dignity that understates his natural tendency to completely disregard a system that has him imprisoned. Greg Wenz holds things together with his playful but slightly "off" Herald (de Sade's assistant in keeping things moving along) and is both charming and a bit unsettling. And the ensemble itself is a huge, moving, breathing, moaning unit... The piece just opened and will have a finite run and I strongly suggest you get your ass out to the Right Brain space and see some theater that makes you think."
Don Hall, Angry White Guy in Chicago

29 actors, 21 audience members, a live band, wine, bon-bons, and the Marquis de Sade; the Right Brain Project took the audience on a journey, seven years in the making, to 1808 France in the confines of the Asylum of Charenton. RBP co-artistic director Nathan Robbel (And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers, Hesperia) directed this epic event to a limited audience, delivering a feast for all the senses.

Nathan Robbel, speaking about Marat/Sade in 2012: “This play has been digging a hole in my brain since I first encountered it. Its complex themes of man taming nature, violence as a tool, and understanding self before enacting political change are some of the most fascinating and intellectually upsetting I've ever read. Twelve years ago, I read it and nodded my head in agreement with so many of the arguments of Jean-Paul Marat's socialist idioms, and insistence that if man is to survive, it will only be by strict governing that benefits all people. But strangely enough, a decade later, I now find myself agreeing with the philosophy of the Marquis de Sade - that man is ruled by nature and when fighting that nature, we are led to political turmoil that destroys and corrupts the inner self. But anarchy isn't the answer either. It's simply not that easy, and this play lays out a conundrum that engages the audience. As for it being dated, as some may claim the play to be, these themes are still relevant all over the world. Violence and revolution are always lurking in the shadows, for better or for worse. And while this play doesn't answer the question of the righteousness of revolution, it begs its audience to consider its consequences and its validity."

"For the longest time, I felt this play was beyond our reach - too complex, too expensive, and too risky for a company (and playing space) of our size. I will agree that it is seemingly crazy to produce a play in which the number of bodies on stage will be larger than our audience capacity. However, after assembling this talented and enthusiastic cast and crew, and hearing their voices plead for a revolution in harmony directed by the wonderful Trevor Watkin, our audience is going to experience a performance both innately intimate and yet terribly epic. We are a company known for its incredible risk taking, and we promise a complete RBP experience, finely crafted over seven years. We hope you'll join us and help us pull it off.”

Director:	Nathan Robbel
Music Director:	Trevor Watkin
Assistant Director:	Emma Peterson
Stage Manager:	Kathleen Dickinson
Set Design:	Anthony Ingram
Lighting Design:	Michael C. Smith
Costume Design:	David Mitchell
Props Design:	Jessica Heffernan
Violence Design:	Orion Couling
Dramaturg:	Zev Valancy
Featuring:	Adam Betz
	Mary Jo Bolduc
	Dave Boren
	Jamie Bragg
	Dan Caffrey
	Natalie DiCristofano
	Patrick Doolin
	Brittany Ellis
	Stephen Gawrit
	Liz Goodson
	Meghan Hartmann
	Stacie Hauenstein
	Ryan Heindl
	Paul Krick
	Gaby Lobatka
	Vincent Lonergan
	Jared McDaris
	David Mitchell
	Susan Myburgh
	Dennis Newport
	Tyler Pistorius
	Alex Potanos
	Joe Ramski
	Denise Smolarek
	Chad Spear
	Megan Storti
	Sarah Thompson
	Greg Wenz
	Zev Valancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video by Stephen Gawrit

Video by Stephen Gawrit