Dario Fo: We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! and other plays

 If one believes in coincidences, which I find it more satisfying not to, it is worth noticing that all three books I've finally gotten around to writing about on this ostensibly patriotic day are, each in its own way, rebukes of America.  Fo's comedic assault on Reaganism specifically is no less-- and perhaps is more--relevant as an assault on the even more theatrical politics of today.  It is layered, however, with such masterful humor and deep philosophical underpinnings that it reads as good-natured ribbing, which is the key to the success of any insult. Something is no doubt lost in reading the plays, though they stand up to scrutiny admirably, and are rather easy to envision, thanks to the extensive explanation provided by the editor, Ron Jenkins.  This explanation is especially credible because it comes from a personal relationship with the writer and his collaborator Franca Rame.  She is so inextricable from these texts that she really should be credited as a co-author, much as Jeanne-Claude is given equal billing with Christoff. Try as one might, however, it is simply impossible to capture on the page elements of physical comedy, visual acuity, and theatrical instinct that are so clearly fundamental to the works.  It is the opposite of a work which is given life by its staging, but has nothing to offer on its own.  Such works belong to the director rather than the author (I'm looking at you, Lloyd-Webber).  Rame and Fo's work is rather so vivid and profound on its own that any staging other than their own would have very big shoes to fill indeed.