KFconcept

Khalil Farah The whole idea of this one act is that Trotsky dies multiple ways, each with a various comedic twist. The fact that the main character then, is Trotsky, who is one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, is important. The play does not deal with any ordinary murder, but that of a political colossus. At the same time, this man is shown as a very lighthearted and comical figure. The whole concept then comes from the lighthearted attitude in regard to a very weighty subject. The principal message conveyed to the audience is that these heavy historical and political issues need to be examined with regard to some comedy. The costumes reflect this because during the entire act, Trotsky is standing with an axe in the back of his head, but otherwise he is dressed very ordinary. This irony is in itself humorous. Moreover, the sheer normalcy of the set contributes to this fact. The only thing strange about the way the play starts is this axe. Otherwise, the entire set is just a plain sitting room with a man at his desk working. The fact he is making a very radical political statement with his opening lines, when surrounded by these mostly ordinary settings, contributes to the humor of the play.