“This was not a real Trump campaign office, but a church basement, and the campaign volunteers were actors in Lyra Theater’s production of a 1941 play written in German with no script modifications but infused with modern touches culled from Mr. Trump’s campaign.... The company see[s] the Arturo Ui character — a mobster and populist demagogue in Prohibition-era Chicago — as strikingly similar to Mr. Trump and call[s] their productions warnings against the prospect of a Trump presidency... The Trump campaign declined to discuss its role as creative inspiration.”

“THEATRE IS EASY BEST BET: Lyra Theater’s superbly relevant production of Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui through the lens of the Trump Campaign is a cautionary warning against the evil clown... Lyra Theater exploits to its full extent the similarity between the rise of Hitler before WWII and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. The company has inherited the play’s legacy, showing its relevance and making the piece an important theatrical examination of morality. It is a true testament to what theatre-makers can, and should, do... Director Noam Shapiro makes excellent choices to illuminate the complex story. The eight-person ensemble portrays over forty characters with astonishing clarity... Lyra Theater has created a wildly entertaining production that does the Brecht classic proud. It is superbly original and immediate, and exactly the right way to tackle the societal issues we all face today. ”

“I love it when new theatre companies invite sprawling, rarely produced texts into their season. I like it even more when they do it brilliantly, with dead-on spoofs, like the Lyra Theatre Company and its production of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”... This production is off off-Broadway at its best... The staging by director Noam Shapiro set up a nice flow between the two tables at either end of the traverse stage and in the center for group dynamics. Shapiro and the Lyra Theatre Company worked within a small budget yet remained true to Brecht’s vision. They allowed the imaginative and the talented cast room to create. They are a group to watch and support.”

““The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui,” [has] resonated with Trump-allergic audiences in recent weeks... Whether reviving “The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui” or creating new productions, American Jews (think Jon Stewart) are at the forefront of satirizing Trump.”

“The presidential election has a way of bringing drama to everyday life... Small wonder, then, that Election Day can imbue certain plays with greater urgency. This year, that certainly rings true for Bertolt Brecht’s 1941 parable, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.””

“Wise’s translation becomes more than an allegory about Hitler. Rather, the translation serves as cautionary tale about the conditions under which fascism and populism can triumph anywhere, even in democracies with legal institutions. ”