Placebo is composing the music for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of the Bertolt Brecht play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
The play will run at England’s Swan Theatre from April 11 to May 30.
Originally written in 1941, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is about a fictional 1930s Chicago mobster that also serves as an allegory for and satirizes the rise of Nazi Germany.
“Thematically, this cautionary tale from history feels more urgent & prescient than ever, and its relevance to today’s world is very chilling,” Placebo says in a press release.
“The creative process for this project was very different for us, sometimes akin to shooting arrows in the dark,” the “Pure Morning” outfit continues. “So we tried to connect with the psychology of the outsider, as well as taking inspiration from themes of power, alienation and moral decay – which are at the core of this play. We are elated by the thought that Placebo’s newest music will be performed nightly at the Swan Theatre and we can only hope that we have done this great play justice.”
Placebo’s most recent album is 2022’s Never Let Me Go.
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