The GAAGA, or, If Putin Was Put on Trial

It could totally be this

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Carolyn Donovan in RainyDayDestinations, RainyDayThoughts // 0 Comments

What if, in your wildest dreams, you could put the current president of Russia on trial?

What would that (farce of a) trial look like? Who else would be part of the trial, those minions whose names most people don’t know but have had a HUUUUUUGE and ridiculous and weird input/impact on the current illegal, stupid, and vicious occupation of a “neighbor” who’s border with you is almost 1,500 miles long?

Well, go see The Arlekin Players’ “THE GAAGA”, currently playing in Harvard Square, to get an idea of the utter preposterousness, complete hysteria, and craven “It wasn’t me!” attitude of those at the top would probably exhibit if the P-man was put on trial for the utter sh!t show that is…it doesn’t even have a name – The illegal war perpetrated by Russia on it’s relatively contented and prosperous neighbor.

It’s not exactly group-speak, although pretty much everyone does exclaim “It wasn’t me!” (or something like it) at some point.

The show is…not funny exactly (we saw it the night before the dam was blown up, so…nothing is funny) but ridiculous and cowardly and save-your-own-skin-ery. And pow, in-your-face-ery.

And a marvel. The GAAGA is really a crazy fantasy takedown of a whole system of lies and deceit and falsehoods. It’s really well done, and in the space in which The Arlekin Players perform it, you feel like you’re in a courtroom—a corrupt one, but a courtroom nonetheless—witnessing the trial.

It’s a small space—maybe 60 audience members—so you are right there, right there, in the the thick of it.

The venue for the play is the now defunct Beat Brew Hall on Brattle Street in Harvard Square. The whole space is part of the show. Broken, messy, disused; a perfect location for this show.

We highly, highly recommend it.