Brecht on Magic 2

The bourgeois magician’s smooth (though not quite as smooth as he hoped) production of cards, canes and floating silver balls is interrupted by a visit from the three gods from Bertolt Brecht’s play The Good Person of Szechuan. The gods appear on the music tape for the act. They are on a mission from a socialist utopia, and are trying to track down socialist culture within capitalist society. Unfortunately, they have been unable to bring with them enough money to go to any of the places where you can see real socialist culture, so they tune in to me instead. Their idea of creating radical magic tricks appeals to me, and I quickly improvise something for them. This demonstration accomplishes their mission, resolving the debate about whether it ispossible to have socialist culture within capitalist society - though it is not entirely clear which way the debate has been resolved.

GODS: (on tape) ...Accordingly, we have left you our suitcase...

IAN: Your what?

GODS: Suitcase. Over there.

IAN: Oh. Right.

GODS: Which contains some items which may be of use to you. Farewell, and good luck, comrade!

IAN: And so they went, leaving me this suitcase. What could be in it, I won...

GODS: Er, don't forget to turn off the tape recorder.

IAN: Oh, right. (does so). So, what could be in the suitcase. there was only one way to find out, and that was to open it up and take a look.I looked down at the battered and well-used suitcase, and opened the lid.What's this? An old tatty portrait of Karl Marx. I don't know what I could use that for in my act, but maybe there's something. A copy of Bertolt Brecht's play, The Good Person of Sechuan. In German: "Ich bin ein wasserverkaufer hier in der haupstadt von Setzuan. I couldn't work out how I was going to use this in a magic act, either, but never mind. what else? Ah. Brecht on Theatre. The Epic Theatre. I see. "Show the world as changeable." Well, I could change the colour of things, or something. "Narrative rather than plot". Yes, yes. I wonder what that means. Still, might come in useful. What else? A copy of Bertolt Brecht's Poems, 1913-1956 edited by John Willett and Ralph Mannheim. Well, there's a lot of material there. A pair of glasses. Some old clothes. And that's all there was in the suitcase. A shame really. If there was more I might have been able to make a whole scene out of this. But there you are.

MUFFLED VOICE: Oh Der Haifisch

IAN: That's when I heard this voice.

MUFFLED VOICE: Der hat zahne/Und die tragt er, im gesight/Und Macheath, der hat ein Messer/Doch das Messer, sieht man nicht

IAN: It appeared to be coming from the suitcase! Who could this be? Who was this in the suitcase?

(coming forward) Now, you may be wondering why I don't realise immediately that this is going to be Bertolt Brecht in the suitcase. Well, I must remind you that I am acting, and although I am portraying myself, I portraying myself as I was some time ago. I haven't seen any of the publicity for this show. I don't know that it’s called Brecht on Magic. As far as I'm concerned I'm just opening up a suitcase - as you may have done many times in your life. You've never expected to find a dummy of Bertolt Brecht in a suitcase, have you? No. Kierkegaard, maybe, but not a materialist like Brecht. So when I see what is in the suitcase, you will see me assume an attitude of surprise. Great surprise actually. In fact, this is something of an acting challenge. Any of you who are studying acting should take note of this. Because you'll see that I just move directly from the one state to the other, I don't sort of slide into the surprise. Here you see me about to open the suitcase. As you can see I'm quite calm. Although there is a certain amount of tension, because I've just heard a voice coming from this suitcase, but that is an occcupational hazard for ventriloquists. Anyway, fairly calm, and then I open up the suitcase and ...

(jumps) Oh my God!!

I think maybe I overdid it a bit there, but never mind. Oh my god, there appears to be a person in the suitcase.

BRECHT: Of course I'm a person. What do you think I am?

IAN: Who are you?

BRECHT: I'm Bertolt Brecht.

IAN: Dertolt Drecht?

BRECHT: No, not Dertolt Drecht. Bertolt Brecht. Haven't you heard of me?

IAN: Of course I've heard of you. Bertolt Brecht, the great German socialist playwright.

BRECHT: That's right. What am I doing here?

IAN: You were left here by three gods. The ones from your play The Good Person of Setzuan.

BRECHT: They dumped me here?

IAN: No, they didn't dump you here. You were left here for a purpose.

BRECHT: What purpose?

IAN: To help me.

BRECHT: And who are you?

IAN: I'm Ian Saville. I'm a magician. And you've got to help me become a better magician.

BRECHT: (Pause) Shit.

IAN: What do you mean, shit? Don't you want to help me?

BRECHT: Of course I don't want to help you.

IAN: Why not?

BRECHT: I'm a great German playwright, and I've got to help some stupid magician, some stupid conjurer do stupid magic tricks?

IAN: But you don't understand. It's not just helping me to do the magic tricks. You've got to help me put socialist content into the tricks.

BRECHT: Oh. I see. I see. (pause) Shit.

IAN: Could you please stop saying shit all the time. This is an intellectual show. I don't want it to be full of shit, shit, shit all the time. (to audience) Sorry.

BRECHT: All right, I'll say scheiss.

IAN: That's better. German. More intellectual. What does it mean, actully?

BRECHT: It means shit, of course. Scheiss Scheiss Scheiss.