Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and America

As part of their 80^th Anniversary program, the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild has produced Stephen Sewell’s acclaimed 2003 play Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and America.

Myth, Propaganda is an epic didactic play involving an Australian academic in an American university whose life is destroyed due to his political contention and comparison between the mythic structures of Nazi Germany and contemporary America, post 9/11.

When this play was first produced, it was in the shadow of confusion and abundant conspiracy theories associated with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Subsequently, it runs the danger of seeming a little dated. However, Stephen Sewell’s brilliant work taps into universal conundrums – the fear of contamination and abuse of justice – truth versus illusion, with a disturbing preference for the appealing veneer of illusion.

This is evident in a number of challenging arguments, such as between Socrates’ ‘What is truth?’ and Plato’s ‘Republic’ notion of ‘truth’ being dictated by government authority. Even more relevant to the position of Talbot, the Australian academic, are the constant references to Kafka’s The Trial, in that both narratives involve the arrest and prosecution of a man who never discovers the truth as to why this happened in the first place. The difference being that in Sewell’s play we do know, and that is due to a perceived ‘necessity’ for the powers that be in the university to get rid of an undesirable person, and the use of the political paranoia situation that allows for anonymous informers and the targeting and condemnation of innocence. Truth is manipulated because it can be – without any conscience.

We often look upon contemporary America as a kind of  ‘fabulous invalid’; it can be wonderful but always seems to be sick in one way or another. Not all Americans are sick, corrupted racists and bigots.

The voice of American ‘normailty’ in Myth. Propaganda lays mainly with Talbot’s American wife, Eve – beautifully played in this production by Jessica Carroll. She is the poet’s voice in this nightmare, just as baffled and bewildered as we all were post 9/11. The terrifying thing is that by the end of the play she has become a terrorist herself; her appeals for truth and justice being denied, she is left with only one alternative – to destroy – like answers like, and measure answers measure.

The Theatre Guild’s production of this epic 3 hours play has been cleanly and efficiently directed by Erik Strauts, with Nick Fagan in the extremely difficult and challenging role of Talbot.

It gets a bit shouty at times, but considering the heightened nature of the drama, this is forgivable.

What is extremely effective and admirable is the clarity of the text, its arguments, illusions, and references – a considerable achievement in itself.

Tony Knight