THERE’LL be moshing in the stalls at the Swan Theatre in Stratford this April.
The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced that alternative British rock band Placebo will compose the music for its 2026 production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, starring double Olivier award-winning actor Mark Gatiss in the title role of the notorious gangster and small-time crook, with big boss ambitions.
Directed by Seán Linnen, in a new version by Stephen Sharkey, Brecht’s riotous ‘gangster spectacle’ – set in the back alleys of Chicago’s criminal underworld – offers a blistering satire on Hitler’s ascent to power and a chilling warning from history which continues to echo down the centuries.
The announcement marks Placebo’s first major theatre collaboration to date and takes place in the year in which the band celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal, self-titled debut album “Placebo,”.
Placebo are one of the defining alternative rock bands of the past 30 years, with 14 million albums sold to date worldwide. The band’s self-titled debut album helped pave the way for a strong shift in British music, acting as an antithesis to Britpop and inspiring a generation of bands to follow them.
Placebo went on to claim their place in British music history with six top ten albums in the UK, collaborating with music legends including David Bowie, Robert Smith and Michael Stipe. The group played sold out tours and festival headline slots across the globe.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui will play at the Swan Theatre in Stratford from Saturday April 11 to Saturday May 30, marking another historic first for the Company, as the only staging of the play in the RSC’s history.
Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal of Placebo said: “We are very honoured and excited to be collaborating with the Royal Shakespeare Company for the first time to create the soundtrack to The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht. Thematically, this cautionary tale from history feels more urgent and prescient than ever, and its relevance to today’s world is very chilling.
“The creative process for this project was very different for us, sometimes akin to shooting arrows in the dark. 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.”
Director Seán Linnen added: “Placebo are one of the most daring, original and imaginative rock bands in history so it is unbelievably thrilling they’ve come on board to write a brand-new soundtrack for our production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui this spring.
“As the threat from the far-right grows daily at home and abroad, it is our job as artists to speak up and out. There is no other play that interrogates the political moment we are living through more than this one, and I’m so lucky to have such fearless and formidable collaborators as Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Mark Gatiss in bringing this production to life.”
