Madison Hill - Accidental Death of An Anarchist

Dario Fo's political farce, based on a real 1969 incident, centers on the Maniac, a quick-witted master of disguise who infiltrates a Milan police headquarters to expose the truth about an anarchist who "accidentally" fell from a window. The Maniac's entire character is driven by costume and disguise as he transforms himself from a bizarrely dressed Freudian analyst into a ridiculously outfitted Judge and later a farcical Forensic Expert (complete with an eye patch, false wig, and a wooden arm and leg). These absurd costumes allow him to manipulate the police inspectors—whose rigid, bureaucratic appearances contrast sharply with the Maniac's flamboyant personas—into publicly admitting the inconsistencies and lies surrounding the death, thereby satirizing state corruption, abuse of power, and the constructed nature of official authority. The costumes, drawing heavily from Commedia dell'Arte stock characters, feature at least one strange and absurd piece for every character who exhibits illogical or farcical behavior, thus visually underscoring the political absurdity.