On Monday, April 8th MSU’s Akin Auditorium hosted a production of “Marx in Soho” starring Robert Weick as the spirit of Karl Marx returned to clear his name and differentiate Marxist theory from Stalin’s soulless bastardization of communism.
Written by controversial activist, historian and author Howard Zinn, the 90-minute one-man play showcases not only the views of Marx, but the emotions he may have felt regarding his family, academic admirers and ideological rivals.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dr. Nathan Jun said that upon hearing from Weick about the show, he secured funds from the Libra Foundation in order to bring “Marx in Soho” to Wichita Falls.
“Robert contacted MSU and other Texas schools offering to perform, so I got Libra Foundation money to get him here,” Jun said.
Jun said the premise of the play is that Karl Marx gets to take a vacation from heaven to clear his name.
“In the U.S. we tend to think of him as a villain, so the goal of the play was to humanize Marx,” Jun said.
Jun said Weick did exactly that with his performance, flowing effortlessly from emotions of sadness for his daughters to growing red in the face with passion for large-scale societal change.
“He was wonderful,” Jun said. “I have principally known Marx through his ideas, so the spectacle of the real person reminded me of the man behind those ideas.”
Jun said it is important for people to see the play because we are living in a time when Marx’s ideas are more relevant than ever.
“We’re seeing serious problems in America and other places due to capitalism,” Jun said. “The contemporary situation has not improved since Marx’s time—it’s gotten worse.”
Jun said beyond its relevancy to modern time, “Marx in Soho” is also relevant to Wichita Falls specifically.
“Wichita Falls is a kind of general representation of the country as a whole,” Jun said. “We have high unemployment, a sense of discontent and our dependence on the military here is strong.”
Senior art major Jackson Slusher said he agreed that Marx’s ideas are still relevant today.
“People need to hear his ideas,” Slusher said. “In pretty much every aspect he touched on there was relevancy.”
Slusher said he would recommend the play to all of his friends despite saying that he knew little about Marx before the play.
“I just knew that he had written Das Kapital and Communist Manifesto,” Slusher said. “I want to go and read more of his work now, though.”
Before Weick took the stage, a short video was shown describing Zinn and his controversial writings, most notably the famous non-fiction book A People’s History of the United States.
“Howard Zinn died very unexpectedly,” Jun said. “Bob started showing the video before the play as a tribute to Zinn.”
Jun said he thinks everyone should read A People’s History in their lifetime due to the book’s enlightening nature.
“We’re taught history in this country that benefits the rich and elite, marginalizing the poor and destitute,” Jun said. “And as it turns out, those poor and destitute were more important in forming our history.”
Senior humanities major Kathryn Johnston said she almost felt obligated to attend the show due to being a humanities major, but she said she also wanted to watch the reactions of those who traditionally disagree with Marx’s ideals.
“I’m all for watching conservative people squirm in their seats as they listen to things about Marxism,” Johnston said. “I really like conflict theory too, so I wanted to come see it.”
Regardless of one’s reason for viewing “Marx in Soho,” Jun said he ultimately wanted people to realize their own power to influence societal change.
“The play shows the importance of ordinary people changing their circumstances,” Jun said. “They have the power to stand together and make a change for the better.”