All is Good at the Asylum

By Lazlo Collins
Seeing the “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis De Sade” after so many years, I was a little nervous. It is not done and generally contains a large cast committed to being, well, crazy. Commonly known as the “Marat/Sade”, this intensely written drama by Peter Weiss is a masterwork in its depth of emotions, and what it causes us to think about, as we witness the plays’ events. This innovative play portrays class struggle and human suffering. It asks the very basic questions of power, authority, and our own destinies.