INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Marat/Sade

Three and a half stars
Purdue Theatre; March 26-April 6

The audience is allowed entrance into the theater, through two separate entrances, one person at a time. Lining the walls of this “Bath House” are nearly naked “inmates” who stare forward, dormant, as we find our seats; a brilliant touch — one of many — by director Gordon McCall, now in his first year on the faculty at Purdue. Marat/Sade is no less pertinent today than in 1963 when this Peter Weiss play was staged by the great Peter Brook. McCall’s production is an ambitious, well-acted and expertly-produced performance. Set in 1808, the interchange between the Marquis de Sade and Jean-Paul Marat is still being played out daily — in politics, boardrooms and academia across the land. Chilling. For those of you who look to university theater for your live stage thrills, if Purdue isn’t on your list, it should be. Next up, starting this weekend, Hair. More information